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Speed spells success for Appalachian |
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Thursday, 17 January 2008 |
 Senior Kevin Richardson trots into the endzone for a touchdown. Photo by Derek DeSha
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by ERIK RHYNE
Sports Reporter
“I’ve got the need, the need for speed!”
The line, popularized in the movie “Top Gun,” could also become the motto for the Appalachian State University football team as they used speed to defeat many of their opponents this season.
That speed was showcased once again as the Mountaineers humbled the University of Delaware 49-21
to win their third consecutive Football Championship Subdivision title.
“In recruiting is where it all starts,” ASU head coach Jerry Moore said. “We tend to look for fast guys
that are good students. We don’t look at size at all. The driving factor for us is to find guys who fit our
program the best.”
Appalachian’s speed caused problems for every team that stepped on the field to face ASU this
season. It seemed the only way to stop the Mountaineers would be for them to have car trouble.
That would have been the only way for the Blue Hens to make it a contest, as they had no answers for
sophomore quarterback Armanti Edwards and Appalachian’s spread offense.
“What you found is when you make a mistake defensively at all, they just brutalized you,” Delaware’s
head coach K.C. Keeler said. “All of a sudden they found a seam and were gone. They have pretty
good speed up front with the pass rush. On top of that, I thought they had pretty good coverage in the
secondary. As soon as Joe [Flacco] had a chance, it would close up quickly.”
The Blue Hens hoped to use running back senior Omar Cuff and quick passes to keep ASU’s offense
off the field.
However, three consecutive possessions ending with touchdowns for ASU changed the game plan. Not
only was Delaware forced to open its playbook, but they could not settle for field goals.
One instance came on Delaware’s second possession of the game. Facing a fourth-and-goal, the Blue
Hens elected to go for the touchdown rather than kick a field goal. ASU stiffened, caused a
turnover-on-downs and claimed a grasp of the game.
Keeler said he figured his squad would need to play keep up.
“It’s one of those things that I went for it on fourth-and-one because we thought it was going to go by
sevens,” Keeler said. “Their offense was explosive as advertised. When we did get some stops, we
couldn’t click offensively.”
Many assumed Delaware would not have problems against a smaller Appalachian team. With the
smallest guy on the Blue Hens’ offensive line at 250 pounds, it would be easy to think Cuff would have
a field day.
Appalachian, which struggled against the run all year, allowed only 98 yards to the Blue Hens.
“Our defensive advantage is our speed,” ASU safety Corey Lynch said. “We do not necessarily have
the size, but our guys have speed. We look like a swarm of bees when we’re out on the field.”
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