Mountaineers Go In Search Of Fifth-Straight Win Over Paladins Saturday

In search of it’s unprecedented fifth-straight victory over Furman, Appalachian State must avoid a letdown coming off their most-complete performance of the 2009 campaign.

The Paladins and Mountaineers will be meet for the 40th time on Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium, with the Paladins holding a 21-15-3 lead in the all-time series edge, however, the Mountaineers come to Greenville riding their most successful streak in the series that began in 1971, with an uncanny, 0-0 tie.

For a rivalry that saw its beginning with a dull 0-0 draw, the past decade has provided perhaps more fantastic finishes than any other Division I football rivalry during that same time period.

The Mountaineers, who rolled up 712 yards of total offense against Georgia Southern Saturday (one yard from tying a school record set against Piedmont in 1936), also put together one of its most-impressive defensive performances of the season, limiting the Eagles to just 171 yards of total offense.

The 712 yards by the Mountaineers were the most yards ever allowed by an Eagle defense, surpassing the 680 yards the Florida Gators gained against an Eagle defense in 1996. The 52-16 victory by the Mountaineers was the largest margin of victory against the traditional SoCon titans in the modern era.

Defending Walter Payton Award winner Armanti Edwards, who became one of two Division I college football other Division I college quarterbacks to ever pass for 8,000 yards and rush for 2,000 yards, was able to help the Apps compile much of the offensive damage in just over two quarters of play last Saturday.

In the win over the Eagles, Edwards, a senior, led the assault with 381 yards of total offense, despite being removed from the game after just two second-half series. Three-hundred and twenty of the yards came through the air on 26-of-34 passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 61 yards on six carries.

Meanwhile, Furman entered it’s game with arch-rival The Citadel with similar aspirations as their Black and Gold counterparts when it made its trek to the Low Country, but things were a ‘Stark’ contrast to what happened in the High Country.

Redshirt freshman Miguel Starks made his first collegiate start against the Paladins, and exposed the Furman defense in almost every possible way in a, 38-28, homestanding Bulldogs—a team that also carried the Mountaineers to overtime in a 30-27 setback three weeks ago.

The Citadel rolled up 479 yards of total offense, including a season-high 296 yards against an ailing Furman defense. Starks had 327 yards and accounted for five TDs, without an interception.

The Paladins are a team that are much in the same place that many thought they might be hard to be at the beginning of the season—a team’s that’s success hinged on a defense that returned just four starters. So far, the theme has played out as many had prognosticated. The Paladins sport one of the league’s top offenses entering Saturday afternoon’s contest (383.3 YPG., 3rd in SoCon), while posting the league’s worst defense (411.9 YPG, 9th in SoCon).

Furman is led by senior signal-caller Jordan Sorrells. The Greenville native is on the cusp of an impressive individual mark on Saturday, as he looks to surpass Ingle Martin as the school’s all-time passing leader. In his career to this point, Sorrells has passed for 5,414 yards in his and needs just 238 yards passing to set the school’s all-time mark Saturday.

To this point in 2009, Sorrells has 150-of-234 passes for 1,573 yards, 12 TDs and five interceptions. In last season’s 26-14 loss in Boone, Sorrells was able to make good on 18-of-33 throws for 147 yards and an interception. In Sorrells’ career against the Apps, he has connected on 19-of-36 passes for 139 yards and an interception.

Furman, which brings the league’s third-ranked passing attack (236.3 YPG.). Sorrells’ favorite target this season has been Adam Mims. (50 rec., 511 yards, 1 TD and 10.2 YPR.). Mims currently ranks second in the league in receiving, including catching five passes for 46 yards against the Mountaineers last season.

Mims is only the beginning of the worries for talented Mountaineer defensive backs like Cortez Gilbert and Mark LeGree on Saturday afternoon. R.J. Webb, a veteran receiver, who is one of the best stories after returning from ACL tears in both knees, is another player that has to be accounted for. The 6'2", 205-pound receiver is the team’s most physical threats, and is one of two former high school quarterbacks that is a threat to throw for Furman. So far this season, Webb has hauled in 20 passes for 167 yards and two TDs (8.4 YPR.). Webb, despite the two knee injuries, is a threat on the deep ball, as he showed Saturday when Citadel defensive back Demetrius Jackson had to take a holding infraction to prevent another Paladin aerial score. Webb also has a 55-yard pass completion on an end-around in Furman’s 52-12 loss to Missouri.

Sedderik Cunningham his been the player in the Furman passing attack that has blossomed into the receiver everyone around the program knew he’d be upon his arrival. Cunningham, also a high school quarterback, caught a TD and threw a TD (a 29-yard pass to fellow wideout David Hendrix) on a play similar to the one that Webb was able to be successful on against Mizzou. In all, Cunningham has hauled in 19 passes for 277 yards (14.6 YPR.) and a TD. His speed makes him one of the Paladins multiple deep threats.

Rounding out those playmakers in the passing game for the Paladins are David Hendrix (15 rec., 299 yds., 2 TDs, and a team-leading 19.9 YPR.) and University of Tennessee transfer Tyler Maples (15 rec., 124 yds., co-team leading 3 TD receptions, and 8.3 YPR.).

Though he leads the team in yards-per-reception, Hendrix is not known for his prowess as a deep threat, but has among the best pair of hands on the team. Hendrix was the most-effective receiver against the Apps last season, with six catches for 61 yards. Maples, on the other hand, is a playmaker with above average speed, possessing the elusivity to make yards after the catch.

Tight end Chris Truss (6 rec., 42 yds., 3 TDs) is one of the league’s top tight ends, and after the Paladins lost Larry Hedden to a career-ending knee injury and Seth Skogen decided to transfer, Truss stepped up and not only became one of the best receiving tight ends in the SoCon, but arguably the country. The 6'4", 262-pound Truss is an impressive target.

The Paladins bring a running game into Saturday’s affair that ranks fourth in the league (), led by Jerry Williams (66 att., 359 yds.,1 TD) ), Mike Brown (16 att., 64 yds., 4.0 YPC.) and Tersoo Uhaa (84 att., 327 yds., 8 TDs, 3.9 YPC.), although both Williams and Uhaa sustained minor injuries on Saturday, however, should be available for action on Saturday.

It was Uhaa that powered the Furman rushing attack last season when Furman came to Boone for the Black Saturday showdown. In between the Apps and the Paladins. Uhaa rushed 17 times for 99 yards and accounted for Furman’s only two TDs of the afternoon, leading a Furman rushing effort that put up one of its best performances of the 2008 season, with 208 yards on the ground.

All three running backs are capable of catching the ball out of the backfield and making plays in the passing game, as well. Williams is the leader of those receiving threats, having caught 12 passes for 120 yards and a TD (10.0 YPR.), with a season-best reception of 38 yards in which he made a series of moves that resembled former Furman great, Louis Ivory.

Furman’s offensive line might be performing as well as it has since the Paladins were a regular contender back in 2005. The Paladins’ offensive front is anchored by both Tyler Haynes (OG) and Heath Cockburn (OG). Furman is tied for the league lead with Wofford in sacks allowed (five sacks, 0.71 PG.). The Paladin offensive front has helped Furman rank in the upper echelon of the SoCon in every offensive statistical category.

In stark contrast, a defense that returned only four starters from a year ago has struggled to stop anyone in ‘09. The Paladins enter Saturday’s rivalry showdown, ranking last in the league in total defense (411.9 YPG.), scoring defense (26.9 PPG.), and passing defense (261.7 YPG.), however, until last Saturday, have performed moderately well against the run (150.0 YPG., 4th in SoCon).

Furman’s veteran, but somewhat inexperienced defensive line struggled to sustain in sort of consistency in last week’s loss to the Bulldogs. The Paladins are led up front by nose guard Justin Brown, a two-time All-SoCon performer, and defensive end Kyle McKinney  who returned recently from a preseason foot injury. Shaun Van Rensburg rounds out the trio of senior veteran starters along the front.

First-year starting linebacker Kadarron Anderson (91 tackles, five TFLs, 1 FR and13.0 TPG.) appears well on his way to making a healthy assault on Furman all-time tackles ledger. The former high school rival of Appalachhian State signal-caller Armanti Edwards, Anderson, who attended crosstown rival Emerald High School in Greenwood, S.C., turned in a 19-tackle effort in Furman’s 19-12 loss to Elon earlier this season. He team’s with Chris Wiley (54 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, two sacks, 3 FRs, and 1 INT) to form perhaps Furman’s strongest unit the defensive side of the football.

What was supposed to be a strong season for a secondary that returned three starters, one of which was a second-team all-league performer last season, in rover Max Lerner (41 tackles, 2 TFLs and 2 INTs). Lerner has had a strong season, but has had to deal with inexperience in other areas, coupled with losing one of its best corners in the history Furman football, William Middleton.

However, he does have senior bandit Julian Hicks (37 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 3 PBUs) to add some experience in the secondary. When the Paladins starting experimenting with their 4-2-5 defensive scheme in the latter part of the 2007 season, they used Hicks in a variety of different circumstances to try and confuse as well as disrupt the suddenly ‘spread-happy’ SoCon.

Furman’s biggest weakness has been its cornerbacks, particularly Jordan Griffin (40 tackles, 5 PBUs, 1 TFL), who is the more inexperienced of the two starters slated for Saturday’s contest. Ryan Steed (42 tackles, 2 INTs, team-leading 8 PBUs), who bears the same number as Middleton did last season, might not have the speed and experience, but his overall athleticism is possibly more impressive. Steed, an accomplished basketball player at Pinewood Prep in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., is being groomed to be one of the best to ever don the Purple and White, just as his predecessor was able to do in his senior season.

Furman, which would need a miraculous string of events to even sniff the post-season, seems likely a team ripe for the picking for one of the nation’s top offenses and a game that should see the Mountaineers a double-digit favorite even in Greenville, but then again, if head coach Jerry Moore can find a way to keep his team’s focus, he’ll remind them of 2004. A season which the shoe was on the other foot, and head coach Bobby Lamb led a Furman team into Boone, led by Florida transfer QB Ingle Martin and an offense that was similar to the one Appalachian State will bring to Greenville to on Saturday (501.7 YPG., 1st in FCS).

In 2004, Appalachian State was coming off a 54-7 loss and needed some of those same miracles the Mountaineers needed five years ago that Furman needs this season to make the playoffs. Also, in comparison to the Paladins, the Mountaineers brought what would turn out to be the worst defenses (33.0 PPG) in school history into that meeting. However, Richie Williams’ heroic effort (40-of-45 passing, 413 yards, 2 TDs, no INTs, 3 TD responsibilities and an NCAA record 28-straight completions), was enough for the Apps to forge a one-point, 30-29, upset win over the Paladins that afternoon. It might take an even more miraculous effort from Sorrells and his offensive mates Saturday to overcome the juggernaut Mountaineers.

Saturday’s contest for the Mountaineers is as important as any for Appalachian this season. The Mountaineers, who are two weeks out from a game that is shaping up to be a SoCon classic, need not lose sight of the significance of this rivalry and, like Furman in Charleston last Saturday, the Mountaineers need to take heed of what happens when an arch-rival is taken too lightly.

Noting Last Year’s Game

An opportunistic Appalachian State defense that forced the Paladins to turn the ball twice inside the red zone, and three times on its own half of the field, coupled with the timely passing of eventual Walter Payton Award winning QB Armanti Edwards (16-of-24 passing, 186 yards, two TDs, and no INTs ), were enough to help the Mountaineers gain their fourth-straight win over Furman, 26-14, on another Black Saturday at The Rock.

Furman, which actually out-gained (354-319) the Mountaineers, held Edwards to just 16 yards rushing, however, a season-long 84-yard run by Devin Radford helped the Mountaineers jump out to a 13-0 lead and they never looked back, despite that offensive success by the Paladins.