by ROB JENKINS
Sports Editor

As I looked at the faces of the Mountaineer fans I traveled to Missoula with as we boarded the bus to take us from Washington-Grizzly Stadium to the airport, I noticed that everyone appeared to be thinking the same thing I was:

It was not supposed to end like that.

Appalachian was on the three-yard line with the greatest player to ever play in the FCS at the helm. It was a foregone conclusion that Appalachian was going to tie the game and go to overtime.

But they didn’t.

The Mountaineer magic wasn’t supposed to run out right then, but it did.

When I turned on my iPod after I got settled in on the bus, the first song that played was Elmore James’ blues classic “The Sky Is Crying.” It was a fitting way to begin the long journey back to Boone.

Once I got on the plane, after the initial shock had passed, I asked myself, “What went wrong?”

Armanti vs. Chase
When it came down to it, the game really boiled down to how the two star players of each team played.

Armanti Edwards did not play a terrible game, but it certainly was not his best.

Edwards completed 28 of 54 passes for 353 yards and one interception and rushed 15 times for 54 yards – unimpressive stats when compared to what Edwards has done throughout his career.

The interception he threw was particularly painful as the Mountaineers were on the UM 32 with a good drive going.

Montana running back Chase Reynolds put his teammates on his back and played the game of his life.

Reynolds ran for 193 yards on just 23 carries (that’s a ridiculous 8.4 yards per carry). He also scored two touchdowns.

The Mountaineers had no answer for Reynolds all game long and that is what ultimately cost them the game.

Montana’s offensive line
While Reynolds got much of his yardage once he got into open space past the first level of defenders, he would not have come close to the numbers he put up without the play of Montana’s stellar offensive line.

The Grizzlies blew the Apps off the line on virtually every play and Appalachian only stopped Reynolds for no gain or negative yardage a couple of times.

I have never seen anything like Montana’s offensive line. Apart from the center, every offensive lineman for the Griz was at least 6’7” and 300 pounds. That is absurd.

But the line was not just big, they were very athletic. They consistently got off their blocks and got to the second level to help spring Reynolds for long runs.

The line was also great in pass protection, as they only allowed one sack in the game.

It appeared that ASU really missed defensive end Lanston Tanyi, who was out with an injury. 

Armanti deserved better
Even though Edwards did not have the best statistical game of his career, his performance at Montana may have been the gutsiest of his career.

The only reason Appalachian had a chance at the end of the game was because of Edwards.

Where other quarterbacks would have faltered or folded, Edwards rose to the occasion and stayed calm under the pressure.

The only problem was that Edwards’ teammates let him down. With the exception of D.J. Smith and Matt Cline, most of the Mountaineers did not rise to match Edwards’ play.

The perfect storm of mistakes
Appalachian suffered way too many mistakes and missed opportunities to win the game.

Brian Quick dropped two touchdowns, most notably on the last play of the game.

Ed Gainey, who was susceptible to getting beat deep all year long, got burned at the worst possible moment – Montana’s game-winning touchdown pass.

The Appalachian defense missed way too many tackles. Too often they tried to tackle with their arms instead of squaring up and using their bodies.

ASU got whistled for 10 penalties. Montana only committed two. (Quick side note: What was the NCAA thinking scheduling a Patriot League officiating crew for a national semifinal? It is a third rate conference. They should have sent a crew from the Southland or CAA or any conference that has experience with officiating big time games. That was a bush league move by the NCAA).

All the problems that the Mountaineers had experienced at various points of the season all manifested themselves in the team’s biggest game.

Maybe it’s my fault
I have resisted writing this all year, because I was hoping it was gone. But the Montana game proved that I am still living with a significant ailment: I carry a sports curse.

As far as I can tell I have been sports cursed for my whole life.

I grew up being a massive Wake Forest fan. The Wake basketball team, despite having fantastic teams several times in my life, has only won two conference championships while I’ve been alive. They failed to advance past the Elite Eight even though they had Tim Duncan and Randolph Childress, the two best players in school history.

The Wake football team won their first conference title in 35 years the year after I decided not to attend Wake.

I have been a Cubs fan for much of my life. I think that is pretty self-explanatory.

As you all know, Appalachian won the national championships from 2005-07. I transferred to ASU in May 2008. The Mountaineers have not won the national title since I have been in school here.

So I’m sorry Mountaineer fans: it’s my fault.

Looking forward
Appalachian supporters will not want to here this, but things will probably get worse before they get better for ASU football.

Even though the Apps have a lot of talent coming back next year (D.J. Smith, Devon Moore, Cline, Quick, Ben Jorden, Mark LeGree and CoCo Hillary to name a few), Appalachian is losing the glue that holds everything together: Edwards.

Replacing the best player in FCS history will be an almost impossible task.

Travaris Cadet has to learn how to throw the ball better before he can be considered a serious threat at quarterback.

Coaches are high on Jamal Jackson (who redshirted this year), but you never know what you are getting with a freshman. Most freshmen don’t play like Edwards did his freshman year.

For Appalachian to have another successful season next year, they will likely need to retool the offense.

This season, the Mountaineers relied heavily on the passing game because Edwards had become such an accomplished passer.

Next season ASU should return to using an offense that relies more on the running game: they need to put the option back in the spread option.

Having a tailback as good as Moore should ease the transition for next season’s quarterback.

Early reflections on the season
Many coaches and players might not consider this season a success because it did not end in a national championship.

However, an 11-3 record and a fifth-straight Southern Conference championship are not too shabby.

Appalachian got somewhat spoiled by its success from 2005-07. Despite what fans think, it is unrealistic to think you can win the national title every season. There are too many other good teams, and any team can win on any given Saturday.

Several Mountaineers enjoyed very successful individual seasons.

Edwards finished with the first 3,000-yard passing season of his career. He accounted for 3,970 yards of total offense and was responsible for 30 touchdowns.

Moore led the team with 1,374 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns.

Cline finished with 85 catches for 981 yards.

Personal reflections
This season was great for me.

Covering Appalachian football this season was a rare privilege. I already had a lot of respect for Jerry Moore before this season, but I gained even more for him by covering his team.

Coach Moore runs his program the right way. Everyone, from assistant coaches to players to equipment managers reflects the attitude and values instilled by Moore.

Having one of the best seats in the house to watch Edwards play the best football of his career was special. I never cease to be amazed by the things he can do on a football field.

I really enjoyed getting to know quarterbacks coach Brad Glenn and defensive coordinator John Wiley by speaking with them at practice. In Glenn and Wiley, Appalachian has two of the best coordinators in the FCS. ASU needs to make sure to hang on to both of them for as long as possible.

Even though my trip to Montana didn’t turn out the way I had hoped, it was still a good end to a great season.

And, I got to spend most of my time in Montana with the Appalachian cheerleaders. There are a lot worse ways to spend a weekend.

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Show/Hide comments