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by ROB JENKINS
Sports Editor
The Matchup
Appalachian State is 10-2 on the year after defeating South Carolina State 20-13 in the first round of the Division I Football Championship last weekend.
Richmond (11-1) squeaked by Elon 16-13 last Saturday in the first round of the playoffs.
This marks the third year in a row the two teams have met in the postseason.
How ASU can win
It will probably be difficult for the Mountaineer offense to get the
run game going against the Spiders, so Appalachian needs to focus its
attention on establishing the pass.
Richmond
only allows 66.6 yards rushing per game, but they are susceptible to
the pass, ranking 10th in the Colonial Athletic Association with 212.1
passing yards allowed per game.
The game
plan should focus on getting Armanti Edwards comfortable by calling
quick, short passes to Blake Elder and Matt Cline early in the game.
Completing these passes early will open up opportunities down the field
as the game goes on.
The offensive line must do a better job at protecting Edwards than they did in last year’s playoff game.
Richmond’s
defensive line harassed Appalachian all game long, and their pressure
was responsible for most of Edwards’ five interceptions.
On defense, ASU needs to shut down Richmond’s rushing attack.
The Spiders average 160 yards per game on the ground, but they only muster 194.2 passing yards per game.
If the
Mountaineers can take away Justin Forte, UR’s leading rusher, and force
Richmond to pass, they will have a much great chance of success.
How UR can win
Richmond’s first priority will be to stop Appalachian’s powerful offense.
The best
offense the Spiders have faced so far this season was Elon last week.
Elon averaged 424.9 yards per game in 2009. The best offense UR faced
in the CAA was Villanova, who averages only 386.4 yards per game.
ASU’s offense is better than either Elon or Villanova: the Mountaineers average 464.2 yards per game.
UR
should use the same strategy South Carolina State used against ASU last
weekend: send multiple blitzers at Edwards on every play.
With
Edward’s mobility still limited by his knee injury, he is not as much
of a threat to run the ball as he usually is. The Spiders should blitz
Edwards mercilessly to try to make him throw interceptions.
Offensively, UR must perform better than they have all year.
Richmond’s
offense has been less than stellar this year: they were held under 300
yards four times, and only gained over 400 yards in four games.
Quarterback Eric Ward and tailback Forte will need to play above their season averages.
The bottom line
Home field advantage should not be much of an advantage for UR; the
Spiders averaged less than half their stadium’s capacity during the
regular season.
ASU gets
the edge because the Mountaineers have a better offense and the defense
has been playing lights out the past four games.
ASU 20, Richmond 17
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