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The Breakdown: N.C. Central at Appalachian State |
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Thursday, 08 October 2009 |
by ROB JENKINS
Sports Editor
The Matchup
North Carolina Central is 0-5 after falling 23-17 in overtime against North Carolina A&T last Saturday.
Appalachian State’s record stands at 2-2 after defeating The Citadel 30-27 in overtime in Charleston, S.C. last week.
How ASU can win
Stay focused and do not take the Eagles too lightly.
N.C. Central may only be in its second year in the FCS, but the Eagles
are a rapidly improving program. Two of the Eagles’ losses this season
have come in double overtime.
The Mountaineers need to focus on sticking to the fundamentals and executing well.
Offensively, Appalachian must find a way to play a complete game. The
Apps came out slow once again against The Citadel, mustering only seven
first points.
Upsets happen when the favorite fails to put a team away early in the
game. The underdog hangs around early, and gains confidence as the game
goes on.
The Mountaineer offense needs to come out firing and crush Central’s morale from the get go.
ASU needs to try to be more creative with their play-calling, especially on third downs.
The inside zone play is not as successful this year as it has been in the past, quarterbacks coach Brad Glenn said.
Defenses have started to stack the box on third downs, because they are
expecting the run. ASU needs to mix up the play calling more to keep
defensive coordinators on their toes.
On the defensive side, the Mountaineers need to do a better job of
executing the most basic part of defensive football: tackling.
ASU missed at least three tackles on Van Dyke Jones’ 69-yard touchdown
run last Saturday. Before that play, Appalachian seemed to have all the
momentum. But the run allowed the Bulldogs to get back into the game.
The Mountaineers should focus on wrapping up and finishing the tackle.
How NCCU can win
Pray for an act of god.
Maybe every starter on the ASU team will somehow oversleep until 6 p.m. Saturday night.
Or maybe Armanti Edwards, D.J. Smith, Brian Quick, CoCo Hillary, Devon
Moore, Jacque Roman, Jabari Fletcher, Mario Acitelli, Mark LeGree and
Matt Cline will all forget how to play football before the game.
The bottom line
If Appalachian plays the way they are capable of, Central will have no chance in this game.
But, the Mountaineers have yet to put a complete game together, so it might not be as lopsided as it could be.
ASU 42, NC Central 10
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