Bobcats have full attention of Appalachian St.
Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 8:45 am
Bobcats have full attention of Appalachian St.
By SCOTT MANSCH
Tribune Asst. Sports Editor
If one is looking for warts from Montana State's 31-13 playoff victory over Furman last week, there is the fact that the Paladins scored the game's final two touchdowns and rushed for 104 yards in the second half.
But Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore, whose Mountaineers play host to the Bobcats Saturday in a Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinal in Boone, N.C., isn't fooled.
"They whipped 'em," Moore said of the Bobcat effort against Furman, which finished runner-up to Appy State in the Southern Conference this fall. "You don't have to watch that tape very long to see that (Furman) just got whipped."
It's clear that Appalachian State, winners of 11 in a row following a season-opening loss at North Carolina State, is not looking past the 18th-ranked Bobcats (8-4).
"Furman has a great reputation, not only in our conference but in I-AA football," said Moore. "They're a pretty spiffy football team and (Montana State) knocked them around pretty good, just took all the zip outta them."
Moore's 2005 Mountaineers split with Furman, losing 34-31 in the regular season and winning 29-23 in a national semifinal game.
But the Bobcats never really let Furman in the ballgame. And that surprised Moore.
"Furman has a really rich tradition; there's a certain amount of mystique that goes along with them," Moore said. "Montana State obviously didn't know that, because they spanked 'em all over the field up there, really took it to 'em right from the beginning of the game. There wasn't any doubt about it."
There's no question about the favorite in Saturday's game, either.
Appalachian State has been top-ranked for about two months and owns a 25-game winning streak at home. That's the nation's second-longest such streak, second only to USC (32 in a row). The Mountaineers' advantage at Kidd Brewer Stadium — called "The Rock" — is obvious.
Last year the Mountaineers ranked second in the nation (behind only the Montana Grizzlies) in attendance, averaging 23,169 per game. Appalachian State drew 16,223 last week for its first-round playoff game against Coastal Carolina.
"There have been previous times where we've played in front of four, five or six thousand (in the playoffs), and everybody accepted it," said Moore. "They don't accept it anymore. It's a neat environment to play in. Montana State's players will enjoying playing here."
Maybe.
The Mountaineers haven't treated their guests very well on the scoreboard now for about four years running. Moore's option-oriented offense, a no-huddle shotgun attack that features swift quarterback Armanti Edwards and talented halfback Kevin Richardson, averages 413 yards and 34 points per game.
"We play hard," said Moore. "The bottom line here is the caliber of kid we've got, the competitiveness that's in him, We like to think we have a great work ethic here, a little bit of that Viking mentality."
Moore said a 2000 playoff trip to Missoula, where the Montana Grizzlies prevailed in overtime, remains fresh.
"We get some cold weauther up here, just like they get in Montana," Moore said. "I remember in 2000 at Montana in snowed so hard before the game you couldn't hardly see the scoreboard ... That didn't bother us. It's kind of a neat way to play to tell you the truth. The way we rally around each other and support each other is the best part of our program here."
By SCOTT MANSCH
Tribune Asst. Sports Editor
If one is looking for warts from Montana State's 31-13 playoff victory over Furman last week, there is the fact that the Paladins scored the game's final two touchdowns and rushed for 104 yards in the second half.
But Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore, whose Mountaineers play host to the Bobcats Saturday in a Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinal in Boone, N.C., isn't fooled.
"They whipped 'em," Moore said of the Bobcat effort against Furman, which finished runner-up to Appy State in the Southern Conference this fall. "You don't have to watch that tape very long to see that (Furman) just got whipped."
It's clear that Appalachian State, winners of 11 in a row following a season-opening loss at North Carolina State, is not looking past the 18th-ranked Bobcats (8-4).
"Furman has a great reputation, not only in our conference but in I-AA football," said Moore. "They're a pretty spiffy football team and (Montana State) knocked them around pretty good, just took all the zip outta them."
Moore's 2005 Mountaineers split with Furman, losing 34-31 in the regular season and winning 29-23 in a national semifinal game.
But the Bobcats never really let Furman in the ballgame. And that surprised Moore.
"Furman has a really rich tradition; there's a certain amount of mystique that goes along with them," Moore said. "Montana State obviously didn't know that, because they spanked 'em all over the field up there, really took it to 'em right from the beginning of the game. There wasn't any doubt about it."
There's no question about the favorite in Saturday's game, either.
Appalachian State has been top-ranked for about two months and owns a 25-game winning streak at home. That's the nation's second-longest such streak, second only to USC (32 in a row). The Mountaineers' advantage at Kidd Brewer Stadium — called "The Rock" — is obvious.
Last year the Mountaineers ranked second in the nation (behind only the Montana Grizzlies) in attendance, averaging 23,169 per game. Appalachian State drew 16,223 last week for its first-round playoff game against Coastal Carolina.
"There have been previous times where we've played in front of four, five or six thousand (in the playoffs), and everybody accepted it," said Moore. "They don't accept it anymore. It's a neat environment to play in. Montana State's players will enjoying playing here."
Maybe.
The Mountaineers haven't treated their guests very well on the scoreboard now for about four years running. Moore's option-oriented offense, a no-huddle shotgun attack that features swift quarterback Armanti Edwards and talented halfback Kevin Richardson, averages 413 yards and 34 points per game.
"We play hard," said Moore. "The bottom line here is the caliber of kid we've got, the competitiveness that's in him, We like to think we have a great work ethic here, a little bit of that Viking mentality."
Moore said a 2000 playoff trip to Missoula, where the Montana Grizzlies prevailed in overtime, remains fresh.
"We get some cold weauther up here, just like they get in Montana," Moore said. "I remember in 2000 at Montana in snowed so hard before the game you couldn't hardly see the scoreboard ... That didn't bother us. It's kind of a neat way to play to tell you the truth. The way we rally around each other and support each other is the best part of our program here."