Published: Monday, December 11, 2006
Yes, YSU's subduer that good
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Appalachian State probably will win the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship on Friday in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Boy, are the Mountaineers good! Even Penn State didn't do to the Penguins what Appalachian State did Saturday on a very cold evening in Boone, N.C.
The defending national champions appear ready to make it two in a row this week. If they play anywhere near what they did on Saturday, then Massachusetts is going to be in for a long night.
Youngstown State is a good football team and the Penguins have nothing to be ashamed of for their efforts against the Mountaineers. But on Saturday, they were totally out-manned.
YSU head coach Jon Heacock knew how good the Mountaineers were, and he knew that the Penguins' only chance was to shut down their potent offense early in the game and hope for a close finish. That never happened.
Mountaineers take
halftime command
Appalachian State stopped itself on its first drive with a fumble, and then scored on the next four out of five drives in the first half to take a 28-14 lead at halftime.
The Penguins knew they had to come out strong in the third quarter. Again, that didn't happen.
A blotched punt attempt gave the Mountaineers the ball at the YSU 10-yard line, and they scored on the first play which broke the contest wide open.
I've been watching the Penguins play for a long time and I don't know if I've ever seen a quarterback — and only a freshman — any better than the Mountaineers' Armanti Edwards.
This youngster didn't become the starter until the third game of the season, and then went on to pass for more than 2,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 yards to become only the fifth player in all of Division I football to accomplish that feat.
He and former Chaney High's Brad Smith, who did it at Missouri, are the only freshmen to pull off the feat.
If Edwards weren't enough, the Mountaineers also had junior running back Kevin Richardson, who rushed for nearly 1,500 yards this season. He was banged up midway in the third quarter Saturday and didn't return, but he wasn't really needed as APS led, 35-14.
If Richardson can't play on Friday, it will definitely take away from the Mountaineers offense, but he bounced up after the injury and appeared to be all right.
Atmosphere in stadium
championship quality
The atmosphere at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone was definitely championship quality.
The crowd of 18,040 was into the game from the start, and the Penguins never were able to take the fans out of the game.
Did you see the streaker? Yes, there was one and he had to be pretty cold running across the field in the second half before being subdued by the local authorities. When the game ended, the fans swarmed the field and even tore down one of the goal posts, which might make Coach Jerry Moore's preparations for the championship game a little more difficult.
Appalachian State rolled up 517 total yards, 353 on the ground, and nobody did that to YSU all year long.
The Penguins finished with 332 total yards, 172 rushing of which senior tailback Marcus Mason had 121 and a touchdown.
But in the first quarter, YSU managed just 10 total yards and not one first down and the rest was history.
It was still a great season for the Penguins as Heacock said after the game, it just ended on a disappointing note and he was more disappointed for his seniors than anything.
This group has worked so hard this past year and accomplished so much — a 9-2 regular season, the school's first outright Gateway Conference championship and two big playoff victories.
So what's next for the Penguins? Well, in about nine months, there's going to be this little game down in Columbus and more than likely the Penguins will be facing their second straight defending national champions when they meet "The" Ohio State University next September.
Pete Mollica covers YSU athletics for The Vindicator. Write him at mollica@vindy.com and read his blogs at vindy.com.
Monday, December 11, 2006
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Appalachian State probably will win the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship on Friday in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Boy, are the Mountaineers good! Even Penn State didn't do to the Penguins what Appalachian State did Saturday on a very cold evening in Boone, N.C.
The defending national champions appear ready to make it two in a row this week. If they play anywhere near what they did on Saturday, then Massachusetts is going to be in for a long night.
Youngstown State is a good football team and the Penguins have nothing to be ashamed of for their efforts against the Mountaineers. But on Saturday, they were totally out-manned.
YSU head coach Jon Heacock knew how good the Mountaineers were, and he knew that the Penguins' only chance was to shut down their potent offense early in the game and hope for a close finish. That never happened.
Mountaineers take
halftime command
Appalachian State stopped itself on its first drive with a fumble, and then scored on the next four out of five drives in the first half to take a 28-14 lead at halftime.
The Penguins knew they had to come out strong in the third quarter. Again, that didn't happen.
A blotched punt attempt gave the Mountaineers the ball at the YSU 10-yard line, and they scored on the first play which broke the contest wide open.
I've been watching the Penguins play for a long time and I don't know if I've ever seen a quarterback — and only a freshman — any better than the Mountaineers' Armanti Edwards.
This youngster didn't become the starter until the third game of the season, and then went on to pass for more than 2,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 yards to become only the fifth player in all of Division I football to accomplish that feat.
He and former Chaney High's Brad Smith, who did it at Missouri, are the only freshmen to pull off the feat.
If Edwards weren't enough, the Mountaineers also had junior running back Kevin Richardson, who rushed for nearly 1,500 yards this season. He was banged up midway in the third quarter Saturday and didn't return, but he wasn't really needed as APS led, 35-14.
If Richardson can't play on Friday, it will definitely take away from the Mountaineers offense, but he bounced up after the injury and appeared to be all right.
Atmosphere in stadium
championship quality
The atmosphere at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone was definitely championship quality.
The crowd of 18,040 was into the game from the start, and the Penguins never were able to take the fans out of the game.
Did you see the streaker? Yes, there was one and he had to be pretty cold running across the field in the second half before being subdued by the local authorities. When the game ended, the fans swarmed the field and even tore down one of the goal posts, which might make Coach Jerry Moore's preparations for the championship game a little more difficult.
Appalachian State rolled up 517 total yards, 353 on the ground, and nobody did that to YSU all year long.
The Penguins finished with 332 total yards, 172 rushing of which senior tailback Marcus Mason had 121 and a touchdown.
But in the first quarter, YSU managed just 10 total yards and not one first down and the rest was history.
It was still a great season for the Penguins as Heacock said after the game, it just ended on a disappointing note and he was more disappointed for his seniors than anything.
This group has worked so hard this past year and accomplished so much — a 9-2 regular season, the school's first outright Gateway Conference championship and two big playoff victories.
So what's next for the Penguins? Well, in about nine months, there's going to be this little game down in Columbus and more than likely the Penguins will be facing their second straight defending national champions when they meet "The" Ohio State University next September.
Pete Mollica covers YSU athletics for The Vindicator. Write him at mollica@vindy.com and read his blogs at vindy.com.
Monday, December 11, 2006
and only a freshman — any better than the Mountaineers' Armanti Edwards.
This youngster didn't become the starter...
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