Appalachian State Mountaineers
Overall Rank: #11
#3 SoCon
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The 2013 campaign is the beginning of major change for Appalachian State. Long-time head coach Jerry Moore stepped down and Scott Satterfield, a former player and assistant for the Mountaineers, will take over. More importantly, of course, is the fact that this is Appalachian State’s last season in the Southern Conference and the FCS. They are making the move to the Sun Belt to compete in college football’s top level. As a result, the Mountaineers are not eligible for the playoffs and this year is all about leaving in style in preparing for the future challenge.
2012 Record: 8-4, 7-2
2012 Postseason: FCS Playoffs
Coach: Scott Satterfield (0-0 at Appalachian State, 0-0 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Dwayne Ledford, Frank Ponce
Defensive Coordinator: Nate Woody
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Jamal Londry-Jackson, QB, 328 yards
Passing: Jamal Londry-Jackson, QB, 3,278 yards
Receiving: Sean Price, WR, 1,196 yards
Tackles: Patrick Blalock, S, 63
Sacks: Adam Scott, DE, 5.0
Interceptions: Patrick Blalock, S, 2
Other Key Returnees: G Alex Acey, LB Karl Anderson, TE Drew Bailey, DE Ronald Blair, OT Will Corbin, G Shaq Counts, C Graham Fisher, OT Kendall Lamm, WR Andrew Peacock, CB Joel Ross, WR Tony Washington
Key Losses: RB Rod Chisholm, LB Brandon Grier, LB Jeremy Kimbrough, DB Demetrius McCray, RB Steven Miller, S Troy Sanders
Strengths:
The Mountaineers return ten starters to an offense that Coach Satterfield led to a top ten finish nationally in total yards. Expect more of the same in 2013. There is not a more dynamic quarterback than Jamal Londry-Jackson. Despite dealing with a knee injury for half of last season, Londry-Jackson threw for 3,278 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 328 yards and six more scores. Those numbers could go up with the return of just about all of Londry-Jackson’s favorite receiving targets. Sean Price quickly established himself as one of the top receivers in the country. As a freshman he caught 81 passes for 1,196 yards and eight touchdowns. Andrew Peacock is more of a possession receiver, catching 79 passes for 795 yards. Also back are Tony Washington and Malachi Jones. Although Appalachian State does not look at their tight end too often, Drew Bailey is a nice option in the red zone. As scary as Londry-Jackson and Price are to any defense, it is the return of all five offensive linemen that will pave the way for the offense. And none of those five returning starters are seniors, so the unit is only getting better. Without Steven Miller, who rushed for 1,368 yards, the only possible concern on offense is at running back. With that line in front of them, the stable of young running backs should be just fine.
Weaknesses:
There is a lot of talent to replace on a defense that was underwhelming in 2012. Appalachian State is switching to a 3-4 scheme and they are going to have to find four new linebackers to fill in. There is some talent, but replacing the production and leadership of Jeremy Kimbrough, who led the squad with 143 tackles, is not going to happen. The Mountaineers are going to have to rely on inexperienced players and hope junior Brandon McGowan can emerge as a leader of the unit. Former safety Patrick Blalock, who recorded 63 tackles as a junior, is moving to one of the outside linebacker spots. He will have to spend some time dropping back into coverage to help an inexperienced secondary who lost Demetrius McCray and Troy Sanders. Joel Ross is the most experienced player and he will move to the corner spot fulltime. The return of Doug Middleton, who missed nearly all of last season with an injury, to join Ross and Rodger Walker should mean the cornerbacks are in decent shape. The safety spots will have more potential than production for now.
The Bottom Line:
The defense will find their talent, but it may take some time. Meanwhile, this will be one of the most potent offenses in all of the FCS. The Southern Conference title race will be very interesting with Georgia Southern also ineligible for the playoffs. Wofford, Chattanooga and Samford also boast realistic hopes of winning the conference. In a four week stretch starting on October 26th, the Mountaineers host Georgia Southern and Chattanooga and travel to Wofford. They also go to Georgia in that stretch. But if the defense is playing well by late October, the Mountaineers could make a nice run and win the league.
Projected Postseason: None – Not eligible
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 170.25 (39th in nation, 4th in conference)
Passing Offense: 293.75 (14, 2)
Total Offense: 464.00 (9, 2)
Scoring Offense: 32.92 (23, 2)
Rushing Defense: 190.58 (94, 6)
Pass Defense: 222.58 (73, 8)
Total Defense: 413.17 (90, 8)
Scoring Defense: 29.33 (77, 6)
Turnover Margin: .42 (29, 4)
Sacks: 2.17 (49, 5)
Sacks Allowed: 2.00 (54, 5)
Madness 2013 FCS Football Recruit Rankings:
#5 Terrence Upshaw
#8 Anthony Covington
#33 Dante Jones
#63 George Vinson
#73 Nathaniel Norwood
See all College Sports Madness Top 44 FCS Football Previews
