by ROB JENKINS
Sports Editor

The Matchup
Chattanooga is 5-3 on the year after defeating Western Carolina last weekend.

Appalachian State beat Furman last Saturday in Greenville, S.C. to move its record to 6-2.

After another 500 yard, 50 point performance, Appalachian leads the Southern Conference in both points per game (39) and total offense (513 yards per game).

The Apps will face a much tougher test defensively this week than they got against Furman.

Chattanooga ranks third in the SoCon in total defense, holding opponents to 130.6 rushing yards and 160.6 passing yards per game.

The Mountaineers need Devon Moore to bust out of his recent slump.

After rushing for a career high 180 yards against Wofford Oct. 17, Moore has rushed for 31 and 37 yards in the last two games.

Fortunately for Appalachian, Armanti Edwards has been there to pick up the slack.

Edwards racked up 461 total yards and six touchdowns against Furman. He leads the conference in total offense, averaging 361.9 yards per game.

ASU needs to continue to improve on defense. The Mountaineers rank near the middle of the pack in many SoCon defensive categories.

D.J. Smith is having a great season, ranking fourth in the conference in tackles with 78.

The Apps need to find a way to get more pressure on the quarterback. Jabari Fletcher, an all-SoCon performer last year, only has 3.5 sacks this season.

How UTC can win
First of all, there’s the obvious: the Mocs have to find some way to stop Edwards.

The main challenge will be trying to disrupt the Mountaineer passing attack. Edwards leads the SoCon in passing yards per game and he is completing 72.1 percent of his passes.

The way to stop Edwards is by finding a way to stop the short passing game. The Mocs must be able to take away Matt Cline and CoCo Hillary.

Cline and Hillary are Edwards’ favorite targets, and the offense is predicated on getting the ball to them on short routes.

On offense, Chattanooga needs to establish the run early and often.

Appalachian is seventh out of nine teams in the conference in rushing yards allowed per game. The Apps are surrendering 159.4 rush yards per game.

The Mocs must control the line of scrimmage, and their linebackers need to keep Edwards and Moore from getting to the edge.

The bottom line
The Mocs are a rapidly improving team under first year head coach Russ Huesman.

However, Chattanooga just doesn’t have enough weapons to keep up with ASU for four quarters.

ASU 45, UTC 23

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