Wide receiver DeAndre Presley breaks through Western Carolina's defensive line during Appalachian’s game in Cullowhee last season. Photo by Christy Bullins

by LINDSEY HUNTSINGER
Sports Reporter

Appalachian State spent the weekend celebrating its 27-10 victory over the Elon Phoenix and the 2009 Southern Conference title, but they have to put the celebration behind them as they prepare for their last regular season game against Western Carolina in the annual Battle for the Old Mountain Jug.

Elon was previously the highest ranked team in the SoCon, and had a top-rated defensive squad that limited opponents to a mere 12 points per game. Saturday’s win gave the Mountaineers bragging rights, and made them the second team in SoCon history to win five straight titles.

“I think they had a sense of pride. They beat a team that thought they were going to beat them, and beat them pretty handily to be honest with you,” defensive coordinator John Wiley said. “And they went out, and took it to them pretty good."

Much of Appalachian’s performance can be attributed to the defense. The ASU defense has been questioned all year, but proved themselves Saturday by making three interceptions, and limiting the previous No. 1 team in the SoCon to only 10 points.

“This was probably the first game this year that we’ve played basically error free. We didn’t break down and turn somebody loose, and that felt pretty good,” Wiley said. “I’m using this to illustrate to them that when we play that way, and we play with a lot of emotion, that we can be hard to beat and we can use that as an advantage.”

As the Mountaineers begin to review film of the Catamounts’ previous games, they are encountering both a team they can take advantage of, and one they should be wary of. Western is coming off a big win over the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky, a team that was nationally ranked earlier in the year.

“They look like two different ball clubs, and actually I thought they looked better in the loss to Elon than they did in the win over Eastern Kentucky,” Wiley said. “I thought they played quick and fast. They’re a team that’s still trying. They’re still playing hard.”

The biggest question surrounding the Mountaineers’ final game is whether or not senior quarterback Armanti Edwards will start, or even play in the last SoCon game of his career. After sustaining a right knee injury in the first half of the Elon game, Edwards was braced and taped and returned to the game on a sore and sensitive leg.

If Edwards is unable to start, the role of quarterback will likely fall into the hands of freshman Travaris Cadet.

“I’m ready at any given time, although we hope that Armanti will be back,” Cadet said. “It’s a day-to-day thing with him. Of course he’s a great player, you know that and I know that, and basically anybody who watches college football knows that. Hopefully he’ll be back, but I’ll be ready at any given time.”

With Edwards listed as day-to-day, and Cadet’s experience at quarterback this year being limited, coaches have looked carefully at the defensive game plan of the Catamounts to try and increase the Apps offensive chances.

“They played [Eastern Kentucky] with a lot of zone coverage, which is kind of what we like to see at this point,” quarterbacks coach Brad Glenn said. “They play hard. There’s a defensive lineman that stood out on film, and their secondary kind of stands out.”

The annual Battle for the Old Mountain Jug draws fans from both Appalachian and Western to share in the tradition and fight for top bragging rights in Western North Carolina.

The Mountaineers have won 22 of the last 24 meetings between the teams, and lead the series 54-18-1 over the years. The jug did not start to be awarded until 1976, and the trophy series stands in ASU’s favor at 26-7.

“The longer you stay around here, the bigger deal it is,” Glenn said. “I’m in my fifth year now, and I remember the first and second year it was just Western Carolina. But, after living here and you bump into some Western fans and it becomes a bigger deal to you. As a matter of fact, the jug sits outside my office door, so I can see it everyday.”

Photo by Christy Bullins  |  The Appalachian

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