What did Furman/Elon do?

[URMite]

...to hold ASU to <30 pts <350 yds
while having more yds & 1st downs at the rock? Injuries? Turnovers? Ball control? Something else? I know they lost, but this seems like our best path to possible victory.

[PhoenixPhan06]

Your boys better get jacked up before the game and play the best game of their lives to keep it close. We pumped crowd noise through the speakers all week at practice leading up to our game at the Rock to get ready for crowd and big game atmosphere.

Stopping AE is outta the question unless you send a guy every play to hit him. We had numerous hits (some questionable as many threads discussed) on him and he still burned us on a few big plays.

Best of luck to you, but I'm gonna have to go with the lone SoCon rep left and hope they can bring home another one.

[T-Dog]

Elon had the effects of rain, sleet, mix, snow and 30-40 mph gusts in temps right around freezing. And Elon busted out the ground attack to play ball control which I think took us off guard a bit.

Furman changed their defense in the offseason to a 4-2-5 just to stop AE and it had some success. And Furman is always a tough game for us. I'll take a two-score win over Furman any day of the week.

We also had some costly turnovers in this game (same with SCSU).

[blueballs]

GSU had App on the ropes in Statesboro and had two redzone turnovers in the last 2 minutes which cost them the game- losing by one point- and defeated them in Boone in 2007, so reviewing the GSU and JMU games would be a good starting point.

GSU never really stopped App either year but the key to beating them is threefold:

a) score first and keep the presure on with your offense
b) win the turnover stat and don't give them short fields
c) get a strong pass rush on Edwards while not losing contain to the outside, Edwards will make mistakes under pressure just like anybody else.

IMO App is nowhere near as good a rushing offense in 2008 as they were in 2006 and 2007, but they are a way better passing offense. They are also vunerable if you have a strong return game. Even their worst teams were tough to beat in Boone so whoever has any thoughts of winning there has their hands full.

[appfan2008]

Your boys better get jacked up before the game and play the best game of their lives to keep it close. We pumped crowd noise through the speakers all week at practice leading up to our game at the Rock to get ready for crowd and big game atmosphere.

Stopping AE is outta the question unless you send a guy every play to hit him. We had numerous hits (some questionable as many threads discussed) on him and he still burned us on a few big plays.

Best of luck to you, but I'm gonna have to go with the lone SoCon rep left and hope they can bring home another one.

they know all about attempting to stop AE and failing... from last year!!!

[apppackdad]

Not what UR did last year!xnodx

[ur2k]

Not what UR did last year!xnodx

Thanks for the brilliant commentary xthumbsupx

[South Carolina Duke]

...to hold ASU to <30 pts <350 yds
while having more yds & 1st downs at the rock? Injuries? Turnovers? Ball control? Something else? I know they lost, but this seems like our best path to possible victory.

Furman had FOUR, (4) turnovers inside the redzone. Including one at the goal line.

Let the Spiders look at our game film and your "Stonewall Defense" can see the amount of pressure we put on #14.

If UR can match up against Rodney Landers to a degree, you can figure out Armanti to. Plus if your Big O Line can keep AE off the field, that will help the cause.

The key will be managing your turnovers and handling yourself in an away atmosphere.

Good Luck Richmond. Go CAA

[ASUMountaineer]

Thanks for the brilliant commentary xthumbsupx

xlolx

[apppackdad]

Really, UR got into a shootout with App. Not many win in that scenario.

[19Duke97]

You have to rattle AE, which is not an easy task to accomplish. I think your defense has to have several blitz packages, and hit AE several times, rush him into quick decisions, and hope he makes a few mistakes.

[proasu89]

GSU had App on the ropes in Statesboro and had two redzone turnovers in the last 2 minutes which cost them the game- losing by one point- and defeated them in Boone in 2007, so reviewing the GSU and JMU games would be a good starting point.

GSU never really stopped App either year but the key to beating them is threefold:

a) score first and keep the presure on with your offense
b) win the turnover stat and don't give them short fields
c) get a strong pass rush on Edwards while not losing contain to the outside, Edwards will make mistakes under pressure just like anybody else.

IMO App is nowhere near as good a rushing offense in 2008 as they were in 2006 and 2007, but they are a way better passing offense. They are also vunerable if you have a strong return game. Even their worst teams were tough to beat in Boone so whoever has any thoughts of winning there has their hands full.


It's true. We miss Kevin greatly and have had to platoon at RB due to our #1 going out for the year early, and having #'s 2A & 2B miss part of the season has not helped. We've even used a WR, Matt Cline, to fill in. Going into Saturday, #2A (Welton) will play but is banged up, #2B (Radford), has turf toe and is probable. Armanti is dinged so he really needs these two to step up. Josh Jackson, #4, has done a great job filling in. The return game has shown improvement, but is still subject to losing contain, especially on punts. As to the passing, Armanti is throwing the ball better than ever and the receivers are making playsxthumbsupx

[blueballs]

It's true. We miss Kevin greatly and have had to platoon at RB due to our #1 going out for the year early...

You miss those all conference OL that graduated last year too. The guys who replaced them are good, but they aren't at the level of the guys who graduated, especially Brown.

[OL FU]

Elon had the effects of rain, sleet, mix, snow and 30-40 mph gusts in temps right around freezing. And Elon busted out the ground attack to play ball control which I think took us off guard a bit.

Furman changed their defense in the offseason to a 4-2-5 just to stop AE and it had some success. And Furman is always a tough game for us. I'll take a two-score win over Furman any day of the week.

We also had some costly turnovers in this game (same with SCSU).

Furman changed defenses to stop Foster last year. It just so happens that the defense seems to work well against very athletic QBs that are integral to that particular offenses success.

[appstate38]

a) score first and keep the presure on with your offense
b) win the turnover stat and don't give them short fields
c) get a strong pass rush on Edwards while not losing contain to the outside, Edwards will make mistakes under pressure just like anybody else.



Good analysis.... Especially the pass rush. Since AE appeared to still be suffering from his previous injuries.

[Saint3333]

If UR can match up against Rodney Landers to a degree, you can figure out Armanti to. Plus if your Big O Line can keep AE off the field, that will help the cause.



Why do JMU fans compare AE to RL, they are much different QBs?

[DB_Atlantic10]

My only concern for Richmond is that their defensive line does not rotate.... AE has to be presurred for 60 complete minutes. Richmond has a great front, equal to JMU's man for man, but JMU has two of each as equally talented rotating all game. They compete for the starting spot each game. JMU also rotates their DTs to DEs and vice versa throughout the game which causes havoc on the O-Lines. So Richmond needs to find a way to rest their D-line without the expense of losing pressure up front. AE is going to get his yards and throws, no way around that....but how many is the question for the Spiders.

On the offensive side, Richmond is not going to be able to beat ASU deep, they have more speed on the edges than any of the top teams JMU have played this year. If the Spiders can pull off a few of those play action passes they did against the Dukes while picking up the blitz, they may be able to losen things up a bit. ASU like JMU is so "FAST" on defense at every position. So Richmond is going to have to keep them honest. Richmond will not be able to just run the ball down their throats with Vaughn, way too much speed to the ball...they are going to have to get Gray and Grayson involved early and often. Then hit them with the tight end down the seam on the play-action as drop back passing will not work.

Good Luck....

[B&G]

If you play like Furman, you'd better hope you have a DB that can match up with Brian Quick because you will see a steady dose of him. He emerged in that game and then really busted out against Wofford.

Elon was aided by the elements which reduced AE's ability to cut. Thus they got a lot of good hits on Armanti that he doesn't usually take.

Both teams played the perfect gameplan but didn't have the execution on offense to pull off the victory. Power running and keeping AE off the field keeps him from getting into a rhythm. That is one of the best ways to limit AE.

[AtlantaMountaineer]

Your boys better get jacked up before the game and play the best game of their lives to keep it close. We pumped crowd noise through the speakers all week at practice leading up to our game at the Rock to get ready for crowd and big game atmosphere.

Stopping AE is outta the question unless you send a guy every play to hit him. We had numerous hits (some questionable as many threads discussed) on him and he still burned us on a few big plays.

Best of luck to you, but I'm gonna have to go with the lone SoCon rep left and hope they can bring home another one.

Reps to you PhoenixPhan. You are the first SoCon poster that has indicated any support for ASU. I always pull for the other Socon teams against OOC teams (except maybe GSU) but am amazed at the other SoCon fans pulling against ASU, especially against CAA teams.

[BULLDOG8180]

Reps to you PhoenixPhan. You are the first SoCon poster that has indicated any support for ASU. I always pull for the other Socon teams against OOC teams (except maybe GSU) but am amazed at the other SoCon fans pulling against ASU, especially against CAA teams.


App. St has my full support. Hailing from the same hometown as Armanti (Gwd, SC), I would like to see him get another title.

[ASUG8]

App tends not to be much of a ball control team - AE and company are a quick strike offense overall, and tend not to grind it out on the ground too much. Richmond's D will be tested, since AE has emerged as something more than a one trick pony this year. He is now a legitimate passing threat and has shown exceptional maturity and patience when given time. The last two seasons he seemed to give his receivers a quick look, then run like crazy. Even now he tends not to give it up on the option and calls his own number. Being a dual threat offense and the improved play of the defensive unit vs. earlier this season are two reasons I like our chances. I haven't had the opportunity to see Richmond play (and I'm glad Hightower is getting paid to play this year xsmiley_wix ), but their decisive win vs. Elon and playing JMU within a touchdown have me concerned about the weekend. Should be a good game, and hopefully we'll see everyone healthy and at their best. xthumbsupx

[gophoenix]

As far as I can tell, you need a fresh rotation on the defensive line to go after Armanti and make him take some big hits. Some may be questionable, some not, but those are the kicks when trying to rattle one player. The trick is you have to do this while playing mistake free in your pass zone and covering the run. You can watch the Elon and Furman games all day, but I am not sure that either of those would work a second time around (as both were different).

Or you could take the GSU approach which basically tries to out sprint App in scoring. But you'll need a TD on nearly every possession for that to happen.

The key is, App isn't going to make many mistakes; so you have to play with even fewer mistakes.

Good luck to App, as much as it pains me to say.

[WVAPPmountaineer]

I'm not telling ya!!!!

[appstate38]

App tends not to be much of a ball control team - AE and company are a quick strike offense overall, and tend not to grind it out on the ground too much. Richmond's D will be tested, since AE has emerged as something more than a one trick pony this year. He is now a legitimate passing threat and has shown exceptional maturity and patience when given time. The last two seasons he seemed to give his receivers a quick look, then run like crazy. Even now he tends not to give it up on the option and calls his own number. Being a dual threat offense and the improved play of the defensive unit vs. earlier this season are two reasons I like our chances. I haven't had the opportunity to see Richmond play (and I'm glad Hightower is getting paid to play this year xsmiley_wix ), but their decisive win vs. Elon and playing JMU within a touchdown have me concerned about the weekend. Should be a good game, and hopefully we'll see everyone healthy and at their best. xthumbsupx

This got me thinking.... We held Hightower to 95 yards rushing last year and no TD's. Considering where he is now, I would say that was a pretty good effort from a group that gave up a ton of rushing yards last year. We made good adjustments against SCSU's zone stretch and took away the cut back lane. The run D is better than I think we give it credit for.

[AppMAN04]

Elon gave us a good game the last two years thanks to fellow native of Randolph county Scott Riddle. This year Elon had to deal with what students in Boone deal with all the time and thats the weather, its crazy and unless you have lived in Boone during a winter then youll never understand. Wind blowing at you in every direction,sleet,ice,snow. Furman is always a fun and exciting game every year. Remember "the Miracle on the mountain" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW6Yl9eYkIs . I just have to say goodluck!xpeacex

[Reign of Terrier]

Believe it or not Furman, Elon, and Sanford had great defenses, but their offenses just couldn't score enough. Sanford only scored 30 points once against D1 opponents (Chattanooga). Furman's playbook just didn't work (Wofford fans started joking around in the 4th quarter wondering when they'd TRY to beat us). Elon scored 30 points+ against no real good defense besides Furman.

I don't know how to stop Armanti I just know that when it comes to defense Richmond could pull it off (If it's any CAA team I want to win it all it's probably them)

[ur2k]

This got me thinking.... We held Hightower to 95 yards rushing last year and no TD's. Considering where he is now, I would say that was a pretty good effort from a group that gave up a ton of rushing yards last year. We made good adjustments against SCSU's zone stretch and took away the cut back lane. The run D is better than I think we give it credit for.

Hightower was banged up by the time this game rolled around last year. Although considering how the game played out, completely healthy he probably wouldn't have made the difference in the game.

We need to force a turnover or 2 (or 3) and play well on special teams. I'm not sure our O can go toe-to-toe with an App team firing on all cylinders offensively.

Our D-ends are healthy this year and Justin Rogers has turned into a beast as a corner so I would imagine that he tries to keep up with Quick most of the game. It will be up to our front seven to contain Armanti and hope for the best.

Good thread guys.

APP dad, I apologize for jumping on you earlier

[apppackdad]

Hightower was banged up by the time this game rolled around last year. Although considering how the game played out, completely healthy he probably wouldn't have made the difference in the game.

We need to force a turnover or 2 (or 3) and play well on special teams. I'm not sure our O can go toe-to-toe with an App team firing on all cylinders offensively.

Our D-ends are healthy this year and Justin Rogers has turned into a beast as a corner so I would imagine that he tries to keep up with Quick most of the game. It will be up to our front seven to contain Armanti and hope for the best.

Good thread guys.

APP dad, I apologize for jumping on you earlier

No problem ur2k.xthumbsupx I appreciated the humor of your comment and chuckled to myself. Sometimes many of us over analyze these games and forget the obvious. Your posts usually have wit and humor, combined with good knowledge of your team and FCS in general. Throw in your passion for UR and the CAA, and you are one of the most insightful and enjoyable of the posters on the board.

[Eaglegus2]

Reps to you PhoenixPhan. You are the first SoCon poster that has indicated any support for ASU. I always pull for the other Socon teams against OOC teams (except maybe GSU) but am amazed at the other SoCon fans pulling against ASU, especially against CAA teams.

Have you considered that the other SoCon fans are following your lead?

I have predicted NC's for the Mountaineers in the past. This year I have a few concerns.

[apppackdad]

Really teams just need to be who they are and out execute APP.So often, it seems teams/coaches get caught up in the App mystique and Rock atmosphere and try to do something "special". See Wofford throw,See JMU get that extra position for the FG, See Furman, well too many examples to list here.

Last year, GSU simply got the ball in Jayson Foster's hands in multiple ways and lived with the result. Of course, they had many other's play well, but their gameplan centered in letting JF be their focal point.

Coach Moore and App will rely in doing the things they do best, with a few minor adjustments. Granted they have more weapons than most right now. If you remember App pre spread, they ran I formation option , stacked against the run and dared you to beat them.

Get cute against the Mountaineers and you pay the price.