The Appalachian State Mountaineers were impressive in their 49-0 shutout victory over Howard on Saturday. The domination included a yardage differential of 663 to 172, and 359 total yards rushing (304 passing). Below are several thoughts I had following the game.
- It was interesting to see Taylor Lamb air it out. The sophomore quarterback repeatedly did so for fellow sophomore Shaedon Meadors (including a 50-yard touchdown catch). All preseason both Lamb and the offensive coaches preached that he needed to protect the ball, and make better decisions. Alternatively, the young quarterback aired it out more than they have in the past, and he tied his career high of three touchdowns in a game. Against Clemson it will be interesting to see if the attacking style was due to their opponent or a more aggressive style for the season for the more experienced quarterback.
- Thanks in large part to a 68-yard second quarter touchdown run in which he spun off a would be tackler and was off to the races, Marcus Cox ended up averaging over 9.5 yards per carry for the game (105 yards total). He has appeared to pick up where he left off last season.
- Barrett Burns was utilized at the goal line. Over the last few years it seems as though the tight end has been forgotten as an offensive weapon in Boone. So on a day where the offense showed so much diversity it was fitting to see the junior get the first score of the day.
- With the game being basically in hand it allowed head coach Scott Satterfield to get backup quarterback J.P. Caruso his first career snaps as a collegiate quarterback early in the second half. The redshirt freshman had two scoring passes about six minutes apart to Jalin Moore and Ike Lewis. The throw to Lewis was an impressive play on a blitz up the middle where the young quarterback quickly got the ball out to his hot read.
- Many other young players got in on the action including running backs Jalin Moore and Josh Boyd. Jaylan Barbour, Nikia Cathey, and Deltron Hopkins were some of the receivers who were added into the mix.
- Six rushers averaged over seven yards for the game. While App has a stable of runners, it also points to a dominant performance by the offensive line.
- On special teams Bobo Beathard seemed hesitant to catch some punts which led to some bad bounces. Alternatively, Simms Mcelfresh (who had a touchdown both receiving and rushing) looked more comfortable on returns.
- Jaquil Capel had the hit of the game on punt coverage (in addition to a 14 yard catch)
- The defensive line was also dominant, they only gave up 36 yards rushing.
- As always, dumb penalties like one by defensive back Alex Gray, and preventing third or fourth down conversions will be important for the defense going forward.
- Linebackers Eric Boggs and John Law were dominant with nine and eight total tackles respectively.
- The defense was swarming, but they may also be prone to over pursuit. Look out for potential misdirection or trick plays by Clemson next week.
- Sophomore Latrell Gibbs had a nice interception, in the third quarter. Alternatively, Aaron Krah gave up one of Howard’s biggest plays of the game on an underthrown 43 yard pass play.
Appalachian coaches spent most of the offseason working on team depth to go with the 20 returning starters. The Howard game was a good opportunity to give many of those players time against another team. Next Saturday the Mountaineers will head out from the Rock to Death Valley to lineup against a Clemson team who was equally impressive in the first week. The Mountaineer coaches may have learned a lot about their team’s readiness last weekend, but this coming Saturday will be a real measuring stick for the program.
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