Welcome To the FBS: An Appalachian State Dynasty (NCAA 2014)

[orlegend0208]

App State Wins BIG on Senior Day

South Alabama Jaguars at Appalachian State Mountaineers
Dec 6, 2014	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
South Alabama Jaguars (3-9)	0	7	0	0	7
Appalachian State Mountaineers (8-4)	7	21	14	7	49

Team Stats Comparison
	USA	APP
Total Offense	289	513
Rushing Yards	126	236
Passing Yards	163	277
First Downs	17	24
Punt Return Yards	6	2
Kick Return Yards	111	0
Total Yards	406	515
Turnovers	4	1
3rd Down Converstion	7-15 (46%)	8-13 (61%)
4th Down Conversion	1-1 (100%)	0-0 (0%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3-1-0 (33%)	8-6-0 (75%)
Penalties
Posession Time	11:34	12:26

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		USA	APP
2:36	(APP) TD: T. Lamb, 1 yard run	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		USA	APP
6:39	(APP) TD: E. Davidson, 7 yard run	0	14
4:07	(USA) TD: K. Houston, 1 yard run	7	14
3:50	(APP) TD: T. Lamb, 61 yard run	7	21
0:41	(APP) TD: T. Beck, 25 yard pass from T. Lamb	7	28
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		USA	APP
5:32	(APP) TD: T. Beck, 19 yard pass from T. Lamb	7	35
2:56	(APP) TD: T. Lamb, 5 yard run	7	42
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		USA	APP
5:15	(APP) TD: R. Ferguson, 3 yard run	7	49

FANTASTIC performance by the Mountaineers. This was by far the best overall team performance of the year in my opinion. The defense was getting pressure all game which is something they haven't done too terribly much of this year. While the offense was moving the ball, and Taylor Lamb had a GREAT game accounting for a total of 5 TD's.

Not much happened in the first quarter. South Alabama and Appalachian State both had punts on their first drives. Then Tyrell Brown intercepted a pass to set Appalachian State up with great field position. Taylor Lamb did a good job of moving the ball down the field and capped off the drive with a hurry up read option that he kept himself for the 1 yard TD run. By running the hurry up, the defense was still trying to adjust to get into their goal line formation and we caught them off guard.

To start off the 2nd quarter, 3rd string running back Eric Davidson got a 7 yard TD run on a triple option to the left to put App State up 14-0. But, South Alabama responded with a TD of their own to make it a one possession game again. On the first play from scrimmage after the kick off, Taylor Lamb took the triple option play to the left 61 yards for the TD! The App State pressure then forced an INT. And with 0:41 left in the half, Lamb threw a beautiful pass to Thomas Beck in double coverage for a 25 yard TD.

On Appalachian State's first drive of the 2nd half, Lamb marched the Mountaineer offense down the field yet again. This time, he connected with Thomas Beck again for a 19 yard TD pass. The App State pressure forced yet another INT and this time Middleton picked off the pass from his safety position. Lamb and the Mountaineer offense capitalized on the INT and with 2:56 left in the 3rd quarter, Lamb kept the ball on a read option to Marcus Cox for the 5 yard TD run to put the Mountaineers up 42-7.

The only score of the 4th quarter happened when backup QB Kameron Bryant handed the ball off to 2nd string HB Ricky Ferguson. Ricky Ferguson broke one tackle, bounced it outside, then dove for the pylon and it was ruled a TD. South Alabama still got absolutely no rhythm on offense, and the score stayed the same. Appalachian State wins on senior day 49-7.

What an outstanding first year in the FBS for this Mountaineer team... Especially when you think about the fact that it went 4-8 last year playing FCS competition! So, that's a 4 win turn around facing much tougher competition with a possibility of going to a bowl game in your first year as an FBS team!

Mountaineers Get 5 HUGE Commits After USA Game!

Commits After South Alabama Game
NAME	POS	CLASS	HOMETOWN	HT	WT	CALIBER
Tony Davis	#33 DE	HS	Statesville, NC	6'3	249
Omar Campbell	#22 QB	HS	Bridgeport, MI	6'1	200
Ricardo Williams	#30 HB	HS	Warsaw, IN	5'10	192
Charles Bain	#40 DE	HS	North Massapequa, NY	6'1	229
Will Smith	#102 WR	HS	Jefferson City, MO	6'4	198

Conference Championship Game Results

[orlegend0208]

De'Anthony Thomas Wins Heisman

Heisman Results Updated: Dec 17, 2014
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
De'Anthony Thomas	HB	Oregon
Johnny Manziel	QB	Texas A&M
Teddy Bridgewater	QB	Louisville
Tommy Armstrong Jr.	QB	Nebraska
Braxton Miller	QB	Ohio State

2014 NCAA Award Winners
Award	Player	Pos	Team
Heisman Memorial Trophy	De'Anthony Thomas	HB	Oregon
Maxwell Award	Teddy Bridgewater	QB	Louisville
Walter Camp Award	De'Anthony Thomas	HB	Oregon
Chuck Bednarik Award	Jamerson Love	CB	Mississippi State
Bronko Nagurski Trophy	Myke Tavarres	MLB	Arkansas
Davey O'Brien Award	Teddy Bridgewater	QB	Louisville
Doak Walker Award	De'Anthony Thomas	HB	Oregon
Fred Biletnikoff Award	Eli Rogers	WR	Louisville
John Mackey Award	Gerald Christian	TE	Louisville
Outland Trophy	Cameron Fleming	RT	Stanford
Rimington Trophy	Dominic Espinosa	C	Texas
Lombardi Award	Cedric Reed	LE	Texas
Linebacker of the Year	Dyshawn Davis	ROLB	Syracuse
Jim Thorpe Award	Gerod Holliman	FS	Louisville
Lou Groza Award	Jordan Williamson	K	Stanford
Ray Guy Award	Drew Meyer	P	Wisconsin
Returner of the Year	Stephan Robinson	CB	Louisville

App State's Norwood and Gilchrist Named To Freshmen All-America Team

2014 NCAA 1st Team All-Americans
Pos	Player Name	Ht	Wt	Year
QB	Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville	6'3	220	Sr.
HB	De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon	5'9	179	Sr.
HB	Rod Smith, Ohio State	6'3	240	Sr.
WR	Eli Rogers, Louisville	5'10	187	Sr.
WR	Devin Smith, Ohio State	6'1	200	Sr.
TE	Gerald Christian, Louisville	6'3	261	Sr.
OL	Josh Cochran, Texas	6'6	300	Sr.
OL	Tommy Brown, Ohio State	6'4	313	Jr.
OL	Jake Smith, Louisville	6'4	315	Sr.
OL	Cameron Fleming, Stanford	6'6	318	Sr.
C	Dominic Espinosa, Texas	6'4	300	Sr.
DL	Cedric Reed, Texas	6'6	262	Sr.
DL	Quinton Jefferson, Maryland	6'4	272	Jr.
DL	Jamaine Brooks, Louisville	6'4	328	Sr.
DL	Kevin Williams, Nebraska	6'2	268	Jr.
LB	Myke Tavarres, Arkansas	6'2	224	Sr.
LB	Dyshawn Davis, Syracuse	6'2	215	Sr.
LB	ReShawn Hooker, Utah	6'0	223	Jr.
DB	Andrew Johnson, Louisville	5'9	188	Sr.
DB	Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon	5'10	196	Sr.
DB	Gerod Holliman, Louisville	6'0	209	Jr.
DB	Tra'Mayne Bondurant, Arizona	5'10	189	Sr.
K	Jordan Williamson, Stanford	5'11	192	Sr.
P	Drew Meyer, Wisconsin	6'2	184	Jr.
RS	Stephan Robinson, Louisville	5'10	171	Sr.

2014 NCAA 2nd Team All-Americans
Pos	Player Name	Ht	Wt	Year
QB	Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M	6'1	200	Jr.
HB	Synjyn Days, Georgia Tech	6'2	217	Sr.
HB	Keneth Dixon, Louisiana Tech	6'0	216	Jr.
WR	Rashad Greene, Florida State	6'0	177	Sr.
WR	Jordan Leslie, UTEP	6'2	211	Sr.
TE	Sean McQuillan, Connecticut	6'4	241	Jr.
OL	John Miller, Louisville	6'2	322	Sr.
OL	Hamani Stvens, Oregon	6'3	299	Sr.
OL	Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M	6'5	295	Sr.
OL	Daryl Williams, Oklahoma	6'6	300	Sr.
C	Jacoby Boren, Ohio State	6'2	290	Jr.
DL	Josh Shirley, Washington	6'3	232	Sr.
DL	Andrew Hudson, Washington	6'3	251	Sr.
DL	James Kittredge, Michigan State	6'4	277	Sr.
DL	Kenny Bigelow, USC	6'3	282	So.
LB	Donnie Baggs, Texas A&M	6'1	233	Sr.
LB	James DeLoach, Georgia	6'3	267	Jr.
LB	Zaire Anderson, Nebraska	5'11	223	Sr.
DB	Chris Davis, Troy State	5'8	161	Jr.
DB	Nick Vanhoose, Northwestern	6'0	185	Jr.
DB	Deon Bush, Miami	6'1	202	Jr.
DB	Adrian Colbert, Texas	6'2	193	So.
K	Kyle French, Wisconsin	6'1	200	Sr.
P	Dyla Ausherman, Oregon	6'3	174	Sr.
RS	Dante Butler, Tulane	5'10	216	Sr.

2014 NCAA Freshmen All-Americans
Pos	Player Name	Ht	Wt	Year
QB	Max Browne, USC	6'5	215	Fr.
HB	Steve Davis, UCLA	5'11	192	Fr.
HB	Austin Guido, Western Michigan	5'11	197	Fr.
WR	Tyshaun Clemons, Georgia State	6'0	212	Fr.
WR	Ryan Timmons, Kentucky	5'10	188	Fr.
TE	Mark Smith, Washington State	6'2	244	Fr.
OL	Kent Perkins, Texas	6'6	295	Fr.
OL	Rami Hammad, Texas	6'5	321	Fr.
OL	Khaliel Rodgers, USC	6'2	307	Fr.
OL	Ishmael Wilson, Texas A&M	6'5	283	Fr.
C	Matt Alfred, Ohio State	6'0	305	Fr.
DL	Nathaniel Norwood, Appalachian State	6'3	238	Fr.
DL	Jake Raulerson, Texas	6'5	257	Fr.
DL	Elijah Qualls, Washington	6'1	293	Fr.
DL	William Nicholson, Ball State	6'5	322	Fr.
LB	Courtney Matthews, Minnesota	6'5	232	Fr.
LB	Morris Daniels, Marshall	6'3	243	Fr.
LB	Keenan Gilchrist, Appalachian State	6'2	217	Fr.
DB	Chad Lemon, Marshall	6'1	188	Fr.
DB	Stacy Taylor, Nebraska	6'0	199	Fr.
DB	Cam Burrows, Ohio State	6'2	186	Fr.
DB	Malik Smith, San Diego State	6'1	187	Fr.
K	David Penn, Auburn	5'10	178	Fr.
P	Jim Miller, Georgia Tech	6'2	190	Fr.
RS	Dontre Wilson, Ohio State	5'10	179	Fr.

App State has 6 Players Named To 1st Team All Sun Belt!

2014 1st Team All-Sun Belt
Pos	Player Name	Ht	Wt	Year
QB	Terrance Broadway, UL Lafayette	6'2	211	Sr.
HB	Alonzo Harris, UL Lafayette	6'1	217	Sr.
HB	Marcus Cox, Appalachian State	5'10	189	So.
WR	Chandler Worthy, Troy	5'9	162	Sr.
WR	Jamal Robinson, UL Lafayette	6'4	205	Sr.
TE	Nick Byrne, UL Lafayette	6'4	225	So.
OL	Jarad Martin, UL Lafayette	6'5	310	Sr.
OL	Terrence Jones, Troy	6'3	319	Sr.
OL	Daniel Quave, UL Lafayette	6'3	325	Sr.
OL	Dominique Barrett, Georgia Southern	6'4	314	Sr.
C	Dalton Bennett, Troy	6'3	296	Jr.
DL	Deon Lee, Troy	6'3	235	Jr.
DL	Nathaniel Norwood, Appalachian State	6'3	238	Fr.
DL	Thomas Bronson, Appalachian State	6'3	287	Sr.
DL	Justin Hamilton, UL Lafayette	6'2	297	Sr.
LB	Dimitri Miles, Troy	6'1	212	Sr.
LB	John Law, Appalachian State	6'0	230	So.
LB	Keenan Gilchrist, Appalachian State	6'2	217	Fr.
DB	Chris Davis, Troy	5'8	161	Jr.
DB	Clark Newton, Georgia Southern	5'11	191	Sr.
DB	Doug Middleton, Appalachian State	6'0	206	So.
DB	Brandon Jones, Texas State	6'2	210	Sr.
K	Alphonso Melton, Georgia Southern	6'1	194	Sr.
P	Juan Ransom, Georgia Southern	6'2	183	Sr.
RS	Patrick Lilly, Georgia Southern	6'1	201	Sr.

4 App State Players Named To 2nd Team All Sun Belt!

2014 2nd Team All-Sun Belt
Pos	Player Name	Ht	Wt	Year
QB	Taylor Lamb, Appalachian State	6'1	200	So.
HB	Stafford Dunlap, Georgia Southern	6'1	208	Jr.
HB	Efrem Reed, UL Lafayette	5'8	194	Jr.
WR	Austin Franklin, New Mexico State	6'2	181	Sr.
WR	Thomas Beck, Appalachian State	6'3	190	Jr.
TE	Harrison Fields, Troy	6'0	215	Sr.
OL	Terry Johnson, UL Lafayette	6'2	276	Sr.
OL	Greg Siener, UL Lafayette	6'4	283	Jr.
OL	Geoff Todd, Georgia Southern	6'8	343	Sr.
OL	Octravian Anderson, UL Lafayette	6'4	282	Jr.
C	Caleb Carbrine, Troy	6'1	282	Sr.
DL	Chris Prater, UL Lafayette	6'5	248	Jr.
DL	Marcus Dallas Jr., Texas State	6'4	247	Sr.
DL	Stephen Burns, Appalachian State	6'2	288	So.
DL	Talib Fordinal, Georgia Southern	6'3	288	So.
LB	Sean Colbert, Georgia Southern	6'4	223	So.
LB	Jake Molbert, UL Lafayette	6'1	220	Sr.
LB	Michael Orakpo, Texas	6'1	237	Sr.
DB	Joel Ross, Appalachian State	5'10	188	Sr.
DB	Sean Thomas, UL Lafayette	5'10	171	Sr.
DB	Montres Kitchens, Troy	5'11	177	Jr.
DB	T.J Worthy, UL Lafayette	6'2	195	Jr.
K	Joe Solomon, Troy	5'7	165	Jr.
P	Max Coffin, Arkansas State	5'11	183	Jr.
RS	Grant Dotsy, UL Monroe	5'10	165	So.

[orlegend0208]

Appalachian State Bowl Game Announced




vs.





The 8-4 Appalachian State Mountaineers are going to take on the 7-5 Virginia Tech Hokies in the Russell Athletic Bowl! The Mountaineers first season in the FBS was a HUGE success, and would like to end on a HUGE note with a BIG bowl win against the heavily favored Hokies.

Bowl Games

[orlegend0208]

Oh My....

Appalachian State Mountaineers at Virginia Tech Hokies
Dec 28, 2014	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Appalachian State Mountaineers (8-5)	0	0	3	0	3
Virginia Tech Hokies (8-5)	21	10	10	7	48

Team Stats Comparison
	APP	VT
Total Offense	181	490
Rushing Yards	79	246
Passing Yards	102	244
First Downs	12	27
Punt Return Yards	7	41
Kick Return Yards	123	76
Total Yards	311	607
Turnovers	2	2
3rd Down Converstion	1-12 (8%)	8-11 (72%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-1 (0%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1-0-0 (0%)	5-3-1 (80%)
Penalties
Posession Time	9:12	14:48

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		APP	VT
5:42	(VT) TD: J. Coleman, 5 yard run	0	7
3:43	(VT) TD: J. Trimble, returned INT 15 yards	0	14
0:23	(VT) TD: K. Asante, 65 yard pass from M. Leal	0	21
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		APP	VT
5:58	(VT) TD: J. Coleman, 6 yard run	0	28
0:02	(VT) FG: J. Williams, 44 yard FG	0	31
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		APP	VT
5:16	(VT) TD: M. Leal, 3 yard run	0	38
4:44	(APP) FG: C. Lawrence, 38 yard FG	3	38
0:58	(VT) FG: J. Williams, 28 yard FG	3	41
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		APP	VT
5:09	(VT) TD: C. Mangus, 8 yard run	3	48

That box score is self explanatory :P.

Bowl Game Results

[orlegend0208]

2014 Player Stats

align="right" width="10%">RET

Appalachian State Mountaineers Stats - 2014
Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	YDS/G	LONG	TD	INT	RAT
Taylor Lamb	191/374	2851	14.9	219.3	74	27	15	130.9
Kameron Bryant	9/16	196	21.7	15.0	54	2	0	200.4
Rushing	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	20+	TD	YDS/G	FUM
Marcus Cox	174	1015	5.8	91	3	13	78
Taylor Lamb	177	765	4.3	66	9	7	58.8
Ricky Ferguson	57	369	6.4	59	3	2	36.9
Eric Davidson	34	161	4.7	19	0	2	12.3
Kameron Bryant	15	31	2.0	10	0	1	7.5
Receiving	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	DROPS	YDS/G	YAC
Thomas Beck	66	894	13.5	10	68		68.7	298
Malachi Jones	45	659	14.6	3	74		50.6	181
Simms McElfresh	28	515	18.3	3	54		42.9	123
Marcus Cox	17	204	12.0	4	41		15.6	122
Tacoi Sumler	16	357	22.3	3	53		27.4	157
Jeremy Ridgeway	10	158	15.8	2	40		15.8	62
Blocking					PCAKE		SACK
Shaq Counts					29		7
Beau Nunn					27		6
Graham Fisher					21		4
Will Corbin					20		6
Jamie Collmar					12		2
Parker Collins					12		7
	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
Defense	SOLO	AST	TOT	SACK	TLOSS	PD	INT	TD
Keenan Gilchrist	65	25	90	1.5	7	7	2
John Law	50	22	72	0.0	4	3	2
Nathaniel Norwood	48	19	67	7.5	21	2	0
Ronald Blair	41	17	58	3.0	9	3	0
Doug Middleton	34	16	50	2.0	6	4	2
Aaron Krah	33	12	45	0.0	0	6	0
Stephen Machanic	20	24	44	0.0	0	4	0
Thomas Bronson	28	11	39	6.0	12	1	0
Tyrell Brown	26	9	35	0.0	0	4	0
Brandon McGowen	13	21	34	0.5	2	1	0
Joel Ross	24	10	34	1.0	3	9	3
Stephen Burns	27	3	30	2.0	7	1	0
Treyon Garnett	22	7	29	0.0	0	2	2
Dante Blackmon	19	0	19	0.0	0	1	1
	Kickoffs					Punts
Returning	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD	AVG	TD
Tacoi Sumler	29	675	23.2	88	0
Simms McElfresh	14	293	20.9	30	0
Bobo Beatherd						39	7.8	0
	Field Goals				Extra Points
Kicking	FGM	FGA	PCT	LONG	XPM	XPA	PCT	PTS
Cory Lawrence	12	14	85%	50	52	54	96%	88
Punting	PUNTS	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	BP	IN20	TB
Bentlee Critcher	68	2856	62	42.0	35.8	0	15	8

2015 Off-Season

Big Coaching Carousel Moves

Penn State HC: Bill O'Brien was fired. HC James Willis from UL Lafayette is his replacement (YES!!!)
South Carolina HC: Steve Spurrier retired. HC Vance Bedford from Central Michigan is his replacement
West Virginia HC: Dana Holgorsen was fired. HC Doc Holliday from Marshall is his replacement
Missouri HC: Gary Pinkel was fired. Jay Johnson, OC from UL Lafayette is his replacement!!
California HC: Sonny ****s was fired. Brian Polian, HC from Nevada is his replacement.
Pittsburgh HC: Skip Holtz, HC from Louisiana Tech is hired.
Illinois HC: Tim Beckman was fired. Shawn Watson, OC from Louisville is his replacement.
Rutgers HC: Kyle Flood was fired. Doug Nussmeier, HC from Pittsburgh is his replacement.
Oregon State HC: Mike Riley was fired. Bronco Mendenhall, DC from Ohio State is his replacement.
UL Lafayette HC: Hires Luke Wells, OC from Texas A&M as James Willis's replacement.
USC DC: DC John Alexander retired. DC Joe Tumpkin from UL Lafayette is his replacement!
Temple HC: Dana Holgorsen former WVU HC is hired.
Texas DC: Mike Riley, former Oregon State HC is hired.
Texas A&M DC: DC Justin Wilcox from Washington is hired.
Iowa OC: Bill O'Brien, former Penn State HC is hired.
Penn State OC: Gary Pinkel, former Missouri HC is hired.

Players Leaving

Joel Ross- CB- 81 Overall- Graduation
Thomas Bronson- DT- 77 Overall- Graduation
Ronald Blair- RE- 77- Overall- Graduation
Graham Fisher- C- 76 Overall- Graduation
Will Corbin- RT- 72 Overall- Graduation
James Hamilton- RE- 72 Overall- Freshman transferring to Pittsburgh
Drew Bailey- FB -72 Overall- Graduation

App State Gets the Top Recruiting Class in Sun Belt!

The Mountaineers finished very strong with their 2015 recruiting class. The Mountaineers got 6 commitments on signing day pushing their total to 24 total commitments. They landed the #28 signing class and that was good for tops in the Sun Belt Conference! 3 of the commitments on Signing Day were some of the top players on their recruiting board (CB-Carl Underwood, WR-Kevin Larson, and ATH-Andrew Smith). Anyway, here are the 24 Mountaineer signees.

Appalachian State Recruiting - 2015
NAME	POS	CLASS	HOMETOWN	HT	WT	CALIBER
Tony Davis	#33 DE	HS	Statesville, NC	6'3	249
Carl Underwood	#14 CB	HS	Memphis, TN	6'1	174
Kevin Larson	#62 WR	HS	Fort Wright, KY	6'0	183
Ricardo Williams	#13 HB	HS	Warsaw, IN	5'10	192
Omar Campbell	#22 QB	HS	Bridgeport, MI	6'1	200
Andrew Smith	#49 ATH	HS	Mansfield, LA	6'3	285
Charles Bain	#40 DE	HS	North Massapequa, NY	6'1	229
Jermaine McKenzie	#15 OLB	HS	Durham, NC	6'2	210
Raymond Goode	#15 CB	HS	Sandy Springs, GA	5'11	180
Kyle Price	#34 T	HS	New Albany, IN	6'4	272
Adrian Crenshaw	#43 T	HS	Wrightsville,GA	6'7	309
Kevin Meyers	#50 T	HS	Macon, GA	6'4	276
Thomas Foster	#60 ATH	HS	Kingfisher, OK	5'9	166
Eric Cobbs	#47 FS	HS	Garner, NC	6'2	190
Jamar Wise	#72 OLB	HS	Martinez, GA	6'0	241
Daniel Lewis	#98 DT	JUCO	Cutlerville, MI	6'4	286
Eric Blankenship	#102 DT	HS	Fountain Inn, SC	6'3	269
Will Smith	#102 WR	HS	Jefferson City, MO	6'4	198
Travis Cole	#90 OLB	HS	Laurens, SC	6'2	203
Desi Crawford	#67 G	HS	York, SC	6'2	273
Chris Robinson	#8 FB	HS	Delaware City, DE	6'3	252
Travis Mills	#118 MLB	JUCO	High Point, NC	6'1	249
Brooks Scales	#114 DT	HS	Williamsburg, VA	6'3	272
Charles Dorsey	#66 C	JUCO	Idylwood, VA	6'2	292

Top 25 Class Rankings

Top Recruiting Classes - 2015
RK	TEAM	5	4	3	2	1	TOTAL
1	Alabama	5	7	8	0	0	20
2	Texas A&M	5	4	9	4	0	22
3	Auburn	1	7	11	1	0	20
4	Boise State	1	6	11	6	0	24
5	Oklahoma	3	3	14	1	0	21
6	Miami	1	5	14	5	0	25
7	Georgia Tech	1	6	11	3	4	25
8	Michigan	0	8	9	0	1	18
9	Notre Dame	0	6	15	0	0	21
10	Washington	1	7	6	3	1	18
11	LSU	3	4	8	1	1	17
12	Texas	1	5	11	4	0	21
13	North Carolina	2	3	12	2	3	22
14	Minnesota	0	4	17	2	1	24
15	Georgia	2	5	6	1	3	17
16	Ohio State	2	3	13	0	0	18
17	Iowa	0	6	10	3	0	19
18	Ole Miss	1	5	8	1	3	18
19	USC	2	4	6	0	6	18
20	South Carolina	0	6	8	3	0	17
21	Virginia Tech	0	6	7	4	0	17
22	Nebraska	0	5	12	0	0	17
23	Arizona State	5	8	6	3	0	22
24	Florida	1	4	8	3	3	19
25	Arkansas	0	5	9	3	1	18

Sun Belt Conference Class Rankings

Top Recruiting Classes - 2015
RK	TEAM	5	4	3	2	1	TOTAL
1	Appalachian State	0	0	20	3	1	24
2	Georgia Southern	0	2	15	1	2	20
3	Troy	0	2	6	4	6	18
4	Georgia State	0	1	7	8	5	21
5	UL Monroe	0	2	6	3	5	16
6	Idaho	0	0	9	5	5	19
7	South Alabama	0	0	9	5	4	18
8	UL Lafayette	0	0	7	6	4	17
9	Texas State	0	0	5	9	5	19
10	New Mexico State	0	0	6	8	3	17
11	Arkansas State	0	0	3	12	4	19

[orlegend0208]

2015 (Year 2) Preview

2015 (Year 2) Schedule:
Week 1: Bye
Week 2: @ Wake Forest
Week 3: Bye
Week 4: @ Oklahoma State
Week 5: vs. Georgia Southern
Week 6: Bye
Week 7: vs. Mississippi State
Week 8: vs. Baylor
Week 9: @ Texas State
Week 10: vs. Arkansas State
Week 11: vs. Troy
Week 12: vs. UL Lafayette
Week 13: @ UL Monroe
Week 14: @ New Mexico State
Week 15: @ Georgia State

Appalachian State Info:
Overall Rating: 83 (+9 from last year)
Offense Rating: 86 (+11 from last year)
Defense Rating: 82 (+7 from last year)
Team Prestige: 2 Stars
Pre-Season Ranking: 69
Toughest Place To Play: #76, C
Recruiting Needs: NONE

Appalachian State Mountaineers Depth Chart - 2015
Regular Offense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
WR	Malachi Jones (86)	Simms McElfresh (79)	Thomas Foster (70)	Tacoi Sumler (78)
TE	Jeremy Ridgeway (78)	Vincent Lawrence (78)	Barrett Burns (77)
LT	Kendall Lamm (81)	Beau Nunn (76)	Kevin Meyers (69)
LG	Beau Nunn (75)	Drew Hayes (73)	Shaq Counts (79)
C	Jesse Chapman (80)	Kyle Price (70)	Charles Dorsey (67)
RG	Alex Acey (78)	Parker Collins (75)	Davante Harris (72)
RT	R.J Prince (81)	Jamie Collmar (74)	Terry McCarthy (72)
WR	Thomas Beck (84)	Steve Joyce (71)	Will Smith (69)	Kevin Larson (74)
QB	Taylor Lamb (84)	Kameron Bryant (81)	Andrew Monroe (71)	Omar Campbell (72)
FB	Chris Robinson (69)
HB	Marcus Cox (85)	Ricky Ferguson (83)	Cedric Alexander (79)	Thomas Foster/Ricardo Williams
Base 4-3 Defense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LDE	Nathaniel Norwood (77)	Tony Davis (76)	Charles Bain (70)
LDT	Stephen Burns (80)	Darian Small (77)	Derek Carrington (73)
RDT	Greg Milhouse (79)	Andrew Smith (76)	Daniel Lewis (78)
RDE	Rashad Townes (80)	Deuce Richardson (76)	Brian Grant (74)
WLB	Stephen Machanic (83)	Josh Baker (78)	Lee Wright (75)	Jermaine McKenzie (69)
MLB	Brandon McGowen (79)	George Vinson (76)	Paul Wright (73)	John Law (79)
SLB	Keenan Gilchrist (78)	Toronto Thomas (77)	Jamar Wise (65)
CB	Treyon Garnett (79)	Aaron Krah (78)	Anthony Covington (78)	Raymond Goode (68)
SS	Alex Gray (79)	Tyrell Brown (78)	Andrew Gonzalez (70)
FS	Doug Middleton (83)	Alex Gray (83)
CB	Carl Underwood (78)	Dante Blackmon (78)	Timi Woods (73)
Special Teams
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
K	Cory Lawrence (89)
P	Bentlee Critcher (88)
PR	Thomas Foster (89)	Cedric Alexander (91)
KR	Thomas Foster (89)	Cedric Alexander (91)
LS	R.J Prince (81)	Kendall Lamm (80)

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Aug 22, 2015
RK	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	Ohio State (39)			1503
2	Texas A&M (21)			1411
3	Texas (1)			1258
4	Michigan State			1182
5	Oregon			999
6	Washington			982
7	Maryland			979
8	Iowa			972
9	Alabama			956
10	UCF			927
11	Nebraska			909
12	Notre Dame			836
13	Louisville			797
14	Oklahoma			790
15	LSU			631
16	Virginia Tech			623
17	Miami			562
18	Georgia Tech			555
19	USC			532
20	Florida			495
21	Georgia			426
22	Florida State			387
23	Stanford			347
24	Northwestern			241
25	Connecticut			131

Sun Belt Outlook - Updated: Aug 22, 2015
TEAM	REC	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	STRK
Georgia Southern
UL Lafayette
Troy
Texas State
Appalachian State
Arkansas State
UL Monroe
Georgia State
South Alabama
New Mexico State
Idaho

[orlegend0208]

Mountaineers Get First Win vs. a Power 5 Conference Opponent!

Appalachian State Mountaineers at Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Sep 5, 2015	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Appalachian State Mountaineers (1-0)	7	14	7	14	42
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (0-1)	0	14	6	0	20

Team Stats Comparison
	APP	WAKE
Total Offense	518	394
Rushing Yards	226	175
Passing Yards	292	219
First Downs	23	17
Punt Return Yards	20	21
Kick Return Yards	64	33
Total Yards	602	448
Turnovers	0	0
3rd Down Converstion	7-12 (58%)	6-14 (42%)
4th Down Conversion	2-2 (100%)	1-3 (33%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	7-6-0 (85%)	6-2-1 (50%)
Penalties
Posession Time	12:37	11:23

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		APP	WAKE
3:13	(APP) TD: T. Beck, 11 yard pass from T. Lamb	7	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		APP	WAKE
5:53	(APP) TD: M. Cox, 15 yard run	14	0
4:02	(WAKE) TD: K. Sousa, 5 yard run	14	7
3:19	(APP) TD: S. Joyce, 8 yard pass from T. Lamb	21	7
1:15	(WAKE) TD: J. Williams, 13 yard pass from K. Sousa	21	14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		APP	WAKE
5:17	(APP) TD: T. Foster, 4 yard run	28	14
3:08	(WAKE) FG: C. Hedlund, 34 yard FG	28	17
1:47	(WAKE) FG: C. Hedlund, 49 yard FG	28	20
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		APP	WAKE
5:55	(APP) TD: C. Alexander, 3 yard run	35	20
3:04	(APP) TD: S. McElfresh, 6 yard pass from T. Lamb	42	20

Granted, Wake Forest is the worst team in the ACC, and Appalachian State had an overall rating than the Demon Deacons... But, App State just got a BIG win by beating a Power 5 Conference team that just so happens to be an in-state rival. This was also a VERY fun Appalachian State offense to watch. You can just see what Coach Johnson is building with this Appalachian State team and the future looks very bright!

But, the game started off with a punt by Wake Forest, then on his first collegiate, Freshman HB/WR Thomas Foster took the punt 16 yards as he made 2 guys miss. If he could just catch a little better this year he would be such a HUGE weapon with a Tacoi Sumler (similar in size and speed/elusiveness) being redshirted this year. But, once again, the Taylor Lamb led Mountaineer offense drove right down the field for a TD. Taylor Lamb connected with Senior WR Thomas Beck on the 11 yard TD pass which made it 7-0 Appalachian State at the end of the first quarter.

App State forced a Wake Forrest punt yet again. This time, on the 2nd play after the punt, Taylor Lamb ran the triple option to the left, and pitched it back to 2nd string HB Ricky Ferguson who made a cut and took off for a 31 yard gain. Lamb then had a nice, 15 yard run right before the first quarter ended. Then, on the first play of the 2nd quarter, Lamb ran the triple option again but this time to his right. Lamb pitched the ball to All-Sun Belt HB Marcus Cox who got to the corner and stretched out and dove for the pylon, scoring from 15 yards out. That made the lead 14-0 for App State. Wake Forrest then had some huge gains on passes and their drive was capped off with a 5 yard run for a TD. So, App State was up 14-7. Appalachian State responded right back with a TD of their own. This time, Taylor Lamb threw a bullet over the middle to Redshirt Freshman WR Steve Joyce who caught it in the endzone for his first career TD catch. This made the score 21-7 App State. To close out the first half, the Demon Deacons scored a TD with just 1:15 left in the half on a 13 yard TD pass. So, going into halftime the score was 21-14.

App State got the ball after halftime and once again another BIG gain for the Freshman HB/WR Thomas Foster. He returned the ball 35 yards to set the Mountaineers up with great field position. Taylor Lamb led a great drive and it ended in a 4 yard TD run by none other than the man who got the ball at the start of the half, Thomas Foster. He received the pitch from the triple option, made a man miss, then dove for the endzone and got in for his first career TD as well. So, the Mountaineers were now up 28-14. Wake Forrest responded with 2 straight FG's. One from 34 yards out and the other from 49 yards out on an absolute bomb off of the foot of their kicker Hedlund. The score at the end of the 3rd quarter was 28-20 App State.

The 4th quarter is when the Mountaineers really put the game away. It all started when Taylor Lamb ran a triple option to his right, Marcus Cox received the pitch, and took off for a 38 yard gain. The drive ended in a 4 yard TD run by Redshirt Freshman Cedric Alexander which was also his first career TD. So, 3 first career TD's in this game today by players who really look to have a great career as a Mountaineer. But, with 3:04 left in the game, after forcing a Wake Forrest punt, Appalachian State capitalized with a 6 yard TD catch by Simms McElfresh to put the game away. The final score was 42-20 Appalachian State.

Appalachian State has a bye week in Week 3, so I'll simulate to Week 4 and do a preview for those games.

[orlegend0208]

Mountaineers Lose a Close One in Stillwater

Appalachian State Mountaineers at Oklahoma State Cowboys
Sep 19, 2015	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Appalachian State Mountaineers (1-1)	0	14	3	14	31
Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-1)	14	3	10	10	37

Team Stats Comparison
	APP	OKST
Total Offense	402	383
Rushing Yards	223	79
Passing Yards	179	304
First Downs	23	19
Punt Return Yards	11	0
Kick Return Yards	45	36
Total Yards	458	419
Turnovers	2	1
3rd Down Converstion	4-8 (50%)	8-13 (61%)
4th Down Conversion	1-2 (50%)	0-0 (0%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4-4-0 (100%)	8-3-3 (75%)
Penalties
Posession Time	11:13	12:47

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		APP	OKST
4:28	(OKST) TD: R. Childs, 1 yard run	0	7
1:25	(OKST) TD: R. Samples, 11 yard pass from J. Walsh	0	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		APP	OKST
4:59	(APP) TD: M. Jones, 7 yard pass from T. Lamb	7	14
1:45	(OKST) FG: T. Lumpkin, 34 yard FG	7	17
0:01	(APP) TD: S. McElfresh, 15 yard pass from T. Lamb	14	17
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		APP	OKST
4:53	(APP) FG: C. Lawerence, 47 yard FG	17	17
1:58	(OKST) TD: R. Samples, 21 yard pass from J. Walsh	17	24
0:50	(OKST) FG: T. Lumpkin, 25 yard FG	17	27
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		APP	OKST
5:53	(APP) TD: M. Cox, 17 yard run	24	27
5:01	(OKST) TD: J. Seales, 78 yard pass from J. Walsh	24	34
3:29	(APP) TD: T. Foster 1 yard run	31	34
2:01	(OKST) FG: T. Lumpkin, 35 yard FG	31	37

In the first quarter it looked like the Cowboys would run away with this one. They scored the games first 14 points. The first was a 1 yard run for a TD. Then, Taylor Lamb fumbled on the triple option and it was scooped up by Cowboy DE Naim Mustafaa (remember this name...). Oklahoma State took advantage as J.W Walsh threw a 11 yard TD pass to Rashad Samples to take the 14-0 lead.

The 2nd quarter started with an almost game saving play by Appalachian State. True Freshman CB Carl Underwood intercepted a pass in the endzone and took the ball out 26 yards. Then, Taylor Lamb led a great drive for the Mountaineer offense and it ended with a 7 yard TD pass to Senior WR Malachi Jones for his first of the year. OK State responded right back with a 34 yard FG to make the score 17-7. Then, Coach Johnson rolled the dice and wanted a TD and not a FG at the end of the half. So, with just 1 second left in the half, Simms McElfresh scored on a beautiful pass from Taylor Lamb in double coverage on a 15 yard TD pass. So, going into halftime the score was 17-14 OK State.

To start off the 3rd quarter, Appalachian State drove the ball right down the field and scored on a 47 yard FG by Sophomore Kicker Cory Lawrence. Surprisingly, the game was tied at 17. But, the Cowboys responded with a 21 yard TD pass to Rashad Samples for his 2nd of the game. Then, once again Naim Mustafaa come up big for Oklahoma State. Mustafaa sacked Taylor Lamb and forced a fumble and Oklahoma State recovered. The Cowboys took advantage and scored on a 25 yard FG to make the game 27-17.

The 4th quarter started with a 17 yard TD run by Marcus Cox. He received the triple option pitch going to the right, made a cut towards the middle of the field, then cut back towards the sideline, and dove for the endzone and barely got in. That made the score 27-24. The Cowboys responded in a big way. Walsh found Seales on a Four Verticals route on blown coverage by Aaron Krah and Seales scored on a 78 yard TD catch and run. Appalachian State responded with a 1 yard run by Freshman HB/WR Thomas Foster who received the pitch off the triple option, juked right and dove into the endzone for the much needed TD. The score was 34-31. But, Oklahoma State drove right down the field and scored on a 35 yard FG to make the score 37-31. With 5 seconds left, the Mountaineers were on the 48 yard line. So, Lamb went to heave the ball to the endzone when he was sacked by none other than Naim Mustafaa, to end the game. The Cowboys hold on 37-31 at home.