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| Mountaineers dominate Keydets 54-13 |
James
Nix
Associate Editor |
Josh Brown | Chief PhotographerFreshman quarterback Richie
WIlliams (7) runs the ball during Saturday’s 54-13 win
over the Keydets. Williams rushed for a total of 137 yards and
two touchdowns against Virginia Military Institute.
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The Appalachian State University
football team was back in the swing of things Saturday as they toppled
the Virginia Military Institute 54-13.
It was the first game this season the team felt it had
fully dominated the field both offensively and defensively.
“We were picked No. 2 to begin, and today
we played like a top10 team,” said senior quarterback Joe Burchette,
who threw for 224 yards and four touchdowns in the first half.
Burchette and the Appalachian offense controlled
the game during the first half, putting nearly 40 points on the
board.
They were the points the offense had been missing
in its previous games. Two weekends ago, the team tallied over 500
yards of total offense against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
but failed to execute in the red zone, resulting only in a 20-17
victory.
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“The last two
games our offense has really got it back,” said senior fullback
Joey Hoover. “We’ve been putting up at least 500 and some
yards total offense every week.”
The UTC game was only a step in the right direction, however, as
the Mountaineers had no trouble in the red zone against VMI.
Early in the first quarter, it seemed Appalachian was still cursed
in the red zone.
After ASU’s first drives resulted in a touchdown and a Mark
Wright field goal, VMI’s defense was able to hold off the Mountaineers
in the red zone.
Hoover said he felt like the team had come out flat in the first
quarter like in previous games, but the attitude changed as the
second quarter got underway.
“We wanted to score the ball more,” Hoover said.
The Mountaineers scored 28 points in the second quarter.
Burchette said he tried a few trick plays, including the same play
that left Hoover wide open in the third quarter against Furman University.
Appalachian’s defense was able to hold VMI to only six points
in the first quarter.
“I was pleased with the way we played both sides [of the ball]
as far as intensity and all that,” said ASU head coach Jerry
Moore.
By the second half, many of the Appalachian starters came out to
give younger players some game-time experience.
One of those players was Richie Williams, the second-string quarterback
who filled in for Burchette at the beginning of the season.
Williams gave a preview of things to come when he rushed for 137
yards and two touchdowns.
“Every time in the fourth quarter we’re always scratching
and digging, trying to win the game,” said senior defensive
end Josh Jeffries. “It felt good to have a bunch of young guys
get out there and be able to play today.”
“It’s time to pass the torch so to speak and [the young
players] to take responsibility of going out and playing like they
are capable of playing,” Moore said.
Now, with one game left in the season, the Mountaineers have turned
their attention back to the playoff hopes.
“As a football team, we talk about [the playoff situation]
every day and we try to bring it up at every meeting,” Hoover
said. “The seniors, and all around, we think we’ve still
got a chance.”
As of press time, Appalachian was ranked 14th in both the Sports
Network and the ESPN/USA Today polls.
Seven teams ranked above the Mountaineers lost over the weekend,
including Furman, who lost hard to Georgia Southern University.
Furman will play Wofford College next weekend.
In two weeks the NCAA Division I-AA playoff selection committee
will makes its choices on who goes to the postseason.
“Us dominating is making the selection committee look at our
offense and our team all together,” Hoover said. |
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