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ASU preps for S. Illinois |
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Thursday, 01 December 2005 |
by CHRIS ZALUSKI
Sports Editor
The Appalachian State football team takes one step closer to the
national championship Saturday as they play host to Southern Illinois
University in the second round of the Division I-AA playoffs.
SIU, who won the Gateway Conference, is ranked eighth nationally and has a very strong football program.
The Salukis will bring much more power to the offensive side of the ball than Lafayette College did in the opening round.
Led by quarterback Joel Sambursky, SIU averages 409 yards of offense per game, which ranks 23rd in all of I-AA.
The high-powered offense maintains a good balance between the run and
pass games. The run game, which averages 179 yards per game, is led by
one of the best backs in the nation, Arkee Whitlock.
Whitlock averages 124 yards per game, which ranks eighth nationally,
and he is quite possibly the strongest rusher Appalachian has faced all
year. Not since the Georgia Southern University game Oct. 15 has
Appalachian had to worry about defending a running back this much.
One thing the Salukis have that GSU did not is the ability to pass the
ball. Appalachian was able to shut down Georgia Southern because GSU
never posed a passing threat -- this will not be the case this week.
Southern Illinois averages 230 yards each game through the air, which is 15 yards more than Appalachian.
Sambursky’s main target is receiver Brent Little, who averages 62 yards
per game. Although Little is SIU’s main target, the Salukis do a good
job of balancing their receiving unit.
Receiver Kellen Allen leads the team with nine touchdown receptions and
Whitlock is also used as a receiver out of the backfield.
Appalachian should have no problem reaching its season’s offensive
average, if not surpassing it, as SIU’s main weakness stems from its
lack of defense.
The Salukis allowed, on average, 367 yards of offense each game, a
figure that ranks them 68th in I-AA. Last week, Lafayette was ranked
12th in the nation in terms of yardage allowed and ASU still managed to
rack up 375 yards of total offense. The Mountaineers should have an
easier time moving the ball this week.
One of the main aspects ASU should be able to exploit is its strong
pass game. In past weeks, the Mountaineers have relied more on their
run attack to lead the team, but that will not be the case this week.
SIU allows 254 pass yards each game, ranking them 110th in the nation,
nearly last among all I-AA teams. Richie Williams should have one of
his best passing games of the year against Southern Illinois.
One thing that both teams’ defenses have in common is that they are able to force the big play.
ASU has posted impressive numbers this season as it has averaged 6.75 tackles for loss and 2.42 sacks per game.
Although these numbers are strong, Southern Illinois has posted
statistics equally as impressive. The Salukis have averaged 7.5 tackles
for a loss and 2.57 sacks each game.
The main difference is the turnover margin that both teams have. ASU is
12th in the nation with a 0.92 turnover margin while Southern Illinois
is ranked 70th with a -.08 turnover margin.
If Appalachian is to have success, they will need to be able to force the Salukis to turn the ball over.
Regardless of the statistics, SIU will be one of the best teams that Appalachian has faced all year.
The game, as was the case last week, will likely come down to whichever team makes the big plays in the fourth quarter.
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