Appalachian State Mountaineers
Overall Rank: #1
#1 Southern
Appalachian State Team Page
2010 Record: (10-3, 7-1)
2010 Postseason: FCS Playoffs
Coach: Jerry Moore (199-79 at Appalachian State, 226-126-2 overall)
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: DeAndre Presley, QB, 1,039 yards
Passing: DeAndre Presley, QB, 2,631 yards
Receiving: Brian Quick, WR, 844 yards
Tackles: Brandon Grier, LB, 64
Sacks: John Rizor, LB, 5.5
Interceptions: Dominique McDuffie, S, 4
There seems to be a few more questions than usual for Appalachian State as they aim for their seventh straight Southern Conference title. But that is nothing Coach Jerry Moore cannot handle. The Mountaineers simply reload, although it is never that easy. That is why many favor Georgia Southern to win the conference, but the Eagles have to travel to Boone, North Carolina and that should give the Mountaineers yet another conference crown. And by the time the playoffs roll around, Coach Moore will have this team ready to make yet another deep playoff run.
Strengths:
The Mountaineers have a great leader in quarterback DeAndre Presley. Last season he became just the fourth quarterback in the FCS to surpass the 2,000 yard passing and the 1,000 yard rushing mark in a single season. He also accounted for an impressive 34 touchdowns; 21 through the air and 13 on the ground. Presley is obviously dangerous with his feet, but unlike many rushing quarterbacks, he has a great arm too. Presley makes smart decisions when it comes to throwing the ball and he completed an impressive 61.2 percent of his pass attempts in 2010. His 3-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio is quite enviable as well. The rushing attack will miss Devon Moore, but they do return Travaris Cadet, who was second to Presley with 671 rushing yards. Moore was pretty much the guy who could punch it into the end zone and Cedric Baker can take over that role. The addition of junior college transfer Steven Miller will add another dynamic to the rushing game. Presley even gets a couple of his favorite targets back. Brian Quick easily led the squad with 47 receptions for 844 yards and nine touchdowns. Tight end Ben Jorden emerged as a great red zone target and six of his 27 catches were for touchdowns.
Weaknesses:
However, Quick will need another pass catching threat out there or he will be constantly double teamed. Matt Cline and CoCo Hillary were the other receivers last year, but they are gone. Jorden could move out wide on occasion, but Jamil Lott, Andrew Peacock or Tony Washington better be ready to step up and take some of the pressure off of Quick. The offensive line has some major departures as well. Daniel Kilgore was the anchor of the line last year, but he is off in the NFL now. Two other starters are also gone, leaving Orry Frye and Matt Ruff surrounded by a lot of inexperienced players. The initial depth chart for the opening game has two freshmen starting on the line and three more on the two-deep. It may take a while for that group to turn into a cohesive unit. On the other side of the ball, the defense has a ton of stars to replace. Linebackers D.J. Smith and Justin Wray are out after leading the team in tackles in 2010. Jabari Fletcher led the team with nine sacks and Mark LeGree led the team in interceptions. There is a major hole, or two, to fill in every area of the defense. Outside of Brandon Grier, the linebacker corps will look quite different. Jeremy Kimbrough had a decent sophomore season and should be ready to step into a starting role. John Rizor will likely move to linebacker to help fill in with the new 3-4 look.
The Bottom Line:
The new 3-4 defense should not cause too many problems as it fits the personnel. The defensive line should be decent with Dan Wylie manning the middle. Getting Lanston Tanyi, who will likely be the rush linebacker, back from injury and adding transfer Zack Miller will not hurt either. The secondary does return every starter except LeGree. Corners Troy Sanders and Ed Gainey are solid, but free safety Dominique McDuffie will have to turn into the big playmaker now without LeGree by his side. This is a team that has some questions to answers, but they have the talent to answer those questions and develop into the best team in the country by November and December.
Projected Postseason: FCS Playoffs
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 217.38 (8th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Passing Offense: 213.46 (45, 3)
Total Offense: 430.85 (10, 2)
Scoring Offense: 34.31 (7, 1)
Rushing Defense: 166.92 (82, 6)
Pass Defense: 180.77 (34, 5)
Total Defense: 347.69 (51, 4)
Scoring Defense: 23.62 (53, 3)
Turnover Margin: .77 (18, 3)
Sacks: 2.31 (34, 1)
Sacks Allowed: .69 (6, 1)
Madness 2011 FCS Football Recruit Rankings:
#77 Brandon McGowan
