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bigCasu
December 9th, 2010, 12:35 PM
Here we go with the Quarterfinals:

Villanova (8-4) @ #1 Appalachian State (10-2)

Time: Noon

TV: ESPN
Stadium: Kidd Brewer Stadium
Surface: Fieldturf

Capacity: 21,650
Jeff Sagarin Ratings:
ASU: 71.26
VU: 71.05

Home advantage: 2.87 points

Appalachian is favored by the Sagarin ratings by 3 points (rounded).

Series: First meeting
Last Meeting: n/a

After winning a national championship, a team will get the best shot from all of their opponents the following season. Everyone wants to be the team that knocks out the defending champion from the previous season. The only team in the last four playoffs to be involved in such a game is Appalachian State. In 2006 and 2007, eight different teams tried, and failed to dethrone Appalachian State. In 2008, Richmond was able to break through and snap the Appalachian streak of 13 consecutive playoff victories. Last season, Appalachian got revenge on Richmond, who won the 2008 title, and went on the road and beat the defending champs. On Saturday, Appalachian will have an opportunity to defeat the 2009 defending champion Villanova. Three classes of Appalachian players and several coaches know what it is like to play in a game of this magnitude, which has become an annual occasion. Villanova players and coaches have only experienced one such game, in their win over Stephen F. Austin last weekend. The closer the playoffs get to crowning a national champion, the closer the talent level of the teams become, and the intangibles, like experience, play a much bigger factor. Just like last year, and a season before, a matchup of national powers will come to fruition in the playoffs in what promises to be a game for the ages.

A couple months, even a couple weeks ago, the chances of Villanova advancing to the quarterfinals would have been considered a stretch. The Wildcats best player Matt Szczur was injured against Penn, suffering from a couple high ankle sprains, and missed six games. During that six game span, Villanova lost two tough games to Rhode Island and New Hampshire at the wrong time of the season. Entering the final game, Villanova was 6-4, facing the top ranked team in the country in Delaware on the road, and were sitting squarely on the playoff bubble. The overtime victory over the Blue Hens most likely put Villanova in the playoff field, but their punishment included going on the road for the first round, and being matched against the top seed Appalachian should they advance.

Having Matt Szczur return to the lineup was huge for Villanova. It was easy to see in the national championship game last season that he was the question that Montana did not have an answer for, no matter where he lined up on the field. Villanova does a great job of putting Szczur in places where he can take advantage of his athletic ability, much like Appalachian has done this season with Travaris Cadet. In the game against Stephen F. Austin, Szczur had twenty touches. Eleven catches for 128 yards and a touchdown and nine rushes for 68 yards. The touchdown catch went for 51 yards and one of rushes went for 37 yards. Forty five percent of his total offense came on two plays. Keeping Szczur in check is a must for the Mountaineers. Szczur had ten other catches, and most of them were underneath drag routes in front of the linebackers or situations where he was the second receiver off the line in a two receiver stack. Villanova used the receiver who lined up in front of Szczur, almost like a pick. Whenever he caught a ball, there was not a defender in sight, and he was able to turn four yard routes into eight yard gains. On almost all of his rushing attempts, Szczur lined up as a wildcat quarterback and simply ran off the guard or to the strong side of the formation, whether that was by tight end or wingback, and to the left side of the line. On a few plays, Szczur was used a decoy, usually put in motion before the snap, on reverses or sweeps. Although twenty touches is a lot, the Szczur factor is in effect for almost every play, similar to how the New Orleans Saints use Reggie Bush. His presence on the field is enough to make any defense think twice.

When Szczur was not in on a play, Villanova depended several times on Chris Whitney, their senior quarterback. Whitney does not have a very accurate long ball, as he only completed three passes over 10 yards against S.F. Austin, but he does have great touch on his short routes, and great chemistry with Szczur. Whitney is a guy who will also never back down from a challenge, and several times he ran designed quarterback sweeps. The Lumberjack defense was able to sniff those plays out, and rarely did they go for a lot of yardage, but it will certainly be something the Mountaineers will see on Saturday. The best way to get pressure on Whitney was with middle blitzes or stunts from the defensive line. Whitney looked very uncomfortable with defenders in his face and was sacked several times. If pressure comes from the ends and there is no containment to the sidelines, Whitney can scramble well and is a load to bring down as he looks like a fullback in the open field. Whitney has 551 yards and ten touchdowns rushing on the season.

With each progressing week, the Appalachian defense has improved exponentially. Take away the Florida game, Appalachian has held several opponents, including playoff quarterfinalists Wofford and Georgia Southern well below their rushing averages, at an average of 53 yards per game. If Appalachian can hold the 22nd ranked rushing attack to similar numbers, which would be under 140 yards, their chances of winning increase significantly. If Villanova calls forty four rushing plays in the game, which is their average, that would mean Appalachian would hold the Wildcats to 3.2 yards per carry. Forty four rushing attempts is fewer than Southern, Wofford, Western Carolina, and The Citadel attempted on Appalachian. Villanova is not a great passing team, and I think the Wildcats strength plays right into the strength of Appalachian.

DeAndre Presley has played this entire season, trying to play his own game and avoiding the pressure of replacing an all time great Mountaineer in Armanti Edwards. If Presley keeps running like he did last Saturday, his game will start to replicate that of their former four-time All American. Presley made easy work of Western Illinois by blistering the Leatherneck defense for 264 yards rushing on only sixteen carries. Passing was not a necessity on the frozen turf of Kidd Brewer Stadium. Despite only completing two passes, Presley became only the second quarterback in Appalachian history to run for 1,000 yards in a season, the third quarterback to surpass 3,000 yards in a season and the fifth player responsible for thirty touchdowns in a season. On top of that, he became only the fourth player in FCS history to accumulate 2,000 yards passing and 1,000 rushing in the same season. Presley is leading by example in every which way possible and is making those memories of his predecessor seem somewhat distant.

Just like Western Illinois the week before, Appalachian’s next opponent, Villanova benefited from five or more turnovers from their previous foe. Western Illinois squeaked by Coastal Carolina, and Villanova used them to demolish S.F. Austin. The last time Appalachian turned the ball over that many times it was in a playoff loss to Richmond, a CAA member, at home, in the same round of the playoffs. Luckily, this season, Appalachian has been very good in the turnover battle, ranking ninth nationally, receiving nearly one turnover a game from its opponents. Villanova has also been very good in that department, ranking just ahead of the Mountaineers. However a +5 turnover margin last week really boosted their statistics. Take that game away, and the Wildcats would have fallen to 23rd nationally. Only 54 teams nationally finished their seasons on the positive side of the turnover battle. Matter of fact, in their four losses this season, Villanova was -4 in the turnover battle. Turning the ball over to Appalachian is a back breaker for any team. Appalachian is too explosive to be given extra possessions. Villanova must do what they do best to win, which is to not turn the ball over, play mistake free and control the momentum of the game. I really would like for Appalachian to jump out to an early lead so Villanova is forced to pass, and Appalachian can send pressure at Chris Whitney. Despite Villanova being very stingy against the run, I think Appalachian can run at will on the Wildcats. The last three opponents for Villanova have been pass oriented teams with great pocket passers. The threat for Presley to take off at any time might not be something that the Wildcats have seen in awhile, and I think they will struggle. This one could be really close if it is not a clean game, but either way, the Mountaineers at home are too much to handle.


The First Pick:

Our rock is a basketball 27

Mountaineers 35

biggie
December 9th, 2010, 01:08 PM
Hoping for D pressure and O take what they are given.

Nova - 24
Apps - 45

ASUTodd
December 9th, 2010, 01:20 PM
Once again I think that we are playing an OVERRATED team. Yes I said it, OVERRATED! When your best player goes down you still win games, like when AE went down. DP came in and we won our games. When Sczur went down they stumbled, which lets me know that he's all they truly have. When he is in the game the others become better players because of the attention he gets, but shut him down, they lose... and they lose big...

The Greatest Show On Earth 38
The Most Overrated Show on Earth 14

VUCats02
December 9th, 2010, 02:53 PM
These predictions are ridiculous lol.

Nova - 77
App St - 2

Anovafan
December 9th, 2010, 03:12 PM
These fans remind me a lot of the ones from Montana last year.

WrenFGun
December 9th, 2010, 03:15 PM
Appalachian State 48
Villanova 41

High scoring affair. Don't think Villanova's defense is very good, but Whitney and Sczcur are damn tough to stop. I think App. will do enough to secure the victory at home.

VUCats02
December 9th, 2010, 03:23 PM
There's no way both teams put up +40. Both teams will most likely be in the 20's. Nobody is giving Nova's defense any credit because most people are judging Nova's defense on one game - against SFA. To be honest, I am a lot less scared about Presley than Moses, and a lot less scared about App State's offense than SFA's. Not because SFA is a better offensive team, and that Moses is a better QB, but because Moses and SFA's offensive attack matches up a lot better against our defense. Nova's defensive will not give up many rushing yards in this game. Unless Nova's offense is terrible, and we turn the ball over 3+ times, there is no way App St gets into the mid 30's - 40's. It's going to be a 24-28 type game.

MountaineerMania54
December 9th, 2010, 03:29 PM
These fans remind me a lot of the ones from Montana last year.

Again, why does it matter what fans think the score will be. We have absolutely no say so what happens on the field. Have it, predict a blowout by 'Nova, I could care less. You seem to have your feelings hurt because App fans are predicting big wins. What are we supposed to predict? A loss?

biggie
December 9th, 2010, 03:34 PM
There's no way both teams put up +40. Both teams will most likely be in the 20's. Nobody is giving Nova's defense any credit because most people are judging Nova's defense on one game - against SFA. To be honest, I am a lot less scared about Presley than Moses, and a lot less scared about App State's offense than SFA's. Not because SFA is a better offensive team, and that Moses is a better QB, but because Moses and SFA's offensive attack matches up a lot better against our defense. Nova's defensive will not give up many rushing yards in this game. Unless Nova's offense is terrible, and we turn the ball over 3+ times, there is no way App St gets into the mid 30's - 40's. It's going to be a 24-28 type game.
And I think a lot of VU is judging App's Offense by a snow game vs WIU. They will take whatever is given on each play, whether that be on the ground or through the air.

HailSzczur
December 9th, 2010, 03:49 PM
Nova 24
App St 20

Matt Szczur TD late in the 4th quarter to give Nova its first lead of the game, complete a comeback, and get the 2nd biggest win in school history

Waco Kid
December 9th, 2010, 03:49 PM
There's no way both teams put up +40. Both teams will most likely be in the 20's. Nobody is giving Nova's defense any credit because most people are judging Nova's defense on one game - against SFA. To be honest, I am a lot less scared about Presley than Moses, and a lot less scared about App State's offense than SFA's. Not because SFA is a better offensive team, and that Moses is a better QB, but because Moses and SFA's offensive attack matches up a lot better against our defense. Nova's defensive will not give up many rushing yards in this game. Unless Nova's offense is terrible, and we turn the ball over 3+ times, there is no way App St gets into the mid 30's - 40's. It's going to be a 24-28 type game.

Just remember that only Florida and GSU have held us below 34 points this season. In the GSU game we had 3 TO's in the red zone, and GSU ran a completely different defensive attack against us than they have in every other game. Plus GSU's triple option offense was able to run off a ton of clock. Very few teams can control the clock like the Eagles.

Rekdiver
December 9th, 2010, 04:00 PM
The difference in this game is our QB and WR will not have been at a bar late the night before like they did before the Richmond game....they know we are not invincible and that Nova is peaking. It will be a heavyweight fight. Conditioning of ASU will be surperior. We know Szcuar is a player and he will be gameplanned for.

Anovafan
December 9th, 2010, 04:13 PM
Again, why does it matter what fans think the score will be. We have absolutely no say so what happens on the field. Have it, predict a blowout by 'Nova, I could care less. You seem to have your feelings hurt because App fans are predicting big wins. What are we supposed to predict? A loss?

My feelings are certainly not hurt. I like to think AGS members are informed FCS followers and based on their respective seasons, there is nothing to suggest App St. will win in blowout fashion. If this is a smack thread, then I understand a brash prediction of a blowout, but this is not a smack thread.

Saint3333
December 9th, 2010, 04:26 PM
Good write up C as always. NP.

Mr. C
December 9th, 2010, 06:11 PM
Good write up C as always. NP.
Sorry, but not a good write up in several areas. I can't believe the lack of respect for Villanova in this thread.

I have seen Villanova five times in person this year and have seen pretty much the rest of their games on TV, or DVD. I saw eight VU games in person last year. By contrast, I've seen three ASU games in person this season and all the rest on both coaches DVDs and TV, so I know these two teams as well as I know any in the country.

There was no doubt that Villanova HAD to win against Delaware to get in. Again folks, the committee is not accepting teams with less than SEVEN D-I wins. If Montana got left out with six D-I wins, no six win team is getting an at-large bid.

Anyone who thinks Villanova isn't a good passing team hasn't seen them play very much. And while Chris Whitney doesn't throw the prettiest passes, he is eighth nationally in passing efficiency. The Wildcats like to run first, but they definitely can beat you by passing, if they protect Whitney. Should Whitney be forced out, however, VU has a huge hole at QB and probably would stick Matt Szczur back there, instead of junior walk-on Christian Culicerto from Charlotte Catholic High School. The only other scholarship QB is Dustin Thomas, who has missed much time with mono this season and is being redshirted to start next season.

Saying that all the Wildcats have is Matt Szczur is one of the most foolish things ever written on AGS. Villanova has mutiple playmakers. Aaron Ball is the second leading rusher in school history. The only guy he trails is some guy named Brian Westbrook. Ben Ijalana at left tackle and Brant Clouser at left guard have started EVERY game in the past four years. Ijalana is simply the best player in FCS this season and will be a first or second round NFL draft choice. With Ijalana in the lineup, the Cats should all but totally neutralize Jabari Fletcher at right defensive end. The key matchup on the line will be how LDE John Rizor plays against ROT Chidozie Ekweozor. Ekweozor can be a weak link for the Cats at times. Mickey Matthews called Villanova's offensive line the best ever in the history of CAA/A-10/Yankee football.

Norman White has developed into one of the top receivers in the country (don't judge on numbers, but on when he makes catches — 10 TDs). White is 6-3 and 215 and creates similar matchup problems to Brian Quick for ASU. Not quite as good as Quick, but close. The Cats lost their third best receiver (behind Szczur and White) when Dorian Wells had his spleen rupture in practice last week and had season-ending surgery. But the Wildcats are similar to ASU in that they have lots of numbers at WR and ar fairly interchangable. Angelo Babbaro is effective as a runner, receiver and returnman. He opened the game against Delaware with a kickoff return for a TD to give VU an emotional boost.

ASU's secondary has been the weakest link for the Mountaineer defense and if Whitney gets time to throw, he can exploit them. Whitney has had trouble with turnovers in the past, but only has five interceptions this year. He is also a tough running threat if he scrambles out of the pocket and is one of the toughest QBs in FCS.

On defense, Villanova (using a slick 3-3-5 set) has the seventh best rushing defense in the country. Going against the seventh-best rushing attack in ASU makes this a real interesting. The Cats have dominated the line of scrimmage against Temple, Delaware and several other run-oriented teams. The Cats have been decimated by injuries up front, but freshman DE Rakim Cox in particular has come on strong. Senior linebackers Terence Thomas and Marquis Kirkland have tons of experience and are keys to the VU defense. They will run blitz, pass blitz and can also cover well. The Villanova secondary is also used for run support, particularly strong safety John Dempsey. Weak safety Fred Maldonado has also had a very good year. If the Cats have a weakness on defense it is that they sometimes can be beaten on deep balls and play-action. Brian Quick will be difficult for this secondary (as with all secondaries) to defend. Tight end Ben Jorden could also be a frequent target on Saturday. ASU would probably be well served to use the pass to set up the run, instead of what it usually likes to do. Probably no FCS team runs more looks on defense than Villanova and the Cats are very good at confusing quarterbacks (just ask Joe Flacco and Jeremy Moses). Villanova like to scheme teams to death.

One area of weakness for Villanova this season has been the kicking game, which probably cost the Cats two games (Temple and Rhode Island). But Nick Yako has been replaced by Mark Hamilton and Hamilton was a cool 4-of-4 on field goals last week. The Cats were 3-of-10 on field goals and missed several extra points during the regular season.

When Villanova has struggled this year, turnovers have been a big reason why.

Also be on the lookout for trick plays. Probably no FCS teams runs gimmick plays better than VU and the coaches know just the right times to pull them out.

ASU generally has a nice speed advantage against FCS squads, but Villanova is probably one of the three or four fastest teams in FCS. DeAndre Presley will be the key man for ASU, as he is in most games. He has tom make sure that he doesn't make turnovers and he has to pass the ball effectively. It could be a tough day for the ASU tailbacks, so Presley will probably need to have a big day. ASU also has an advantage on the OL with its experience aaginst an inexperienced VU defensive front.

Another interesting fact. Several of the Villanova coaches are friends with the ASU staff. VU came up and spent spring practice with ASU before the 2007 season when the Cats were making adjustments in their offense. These teams know each other pretty well for squads that have never played.

In my eyes, this is the most intriguing game of the playoffs and I believe that the winner of this hard-fought contest will win the national championship. ASU will have an advantage, playing at home, but Villanova will be a tough team to take out. I can't wait for noon on Saturday.

Mr. C
December 9th, 2010, 06:13 PM
Just remember that only Florida and GSU have held us below 34 points this season. In the GSU game we had 3 TO's in the red zone, and GSU ran a completely different defensive attack against us than they have in every other game. Plus GSU's triple option offense was able to run off a ton of clock. Very few teams can control the clock like the Eagles.

Villanova is one of the best teams around for clock management (though clock management bit the Cats in the butt against Temple).

Mr. C
December 9th, 2010, 09:36 PM
The difference in this game is our QB and WR will not have been at a bar late the night before like they did before the Richmond game....they know we are not invincible and that Nova is peaking. It will be a heavyweight fight. Conditioning of ASU will be surperior. We know Szcuar is a player and he will be gameplanned for.

What are you talking about?

MountaineerMania54
December 9th, 2010, 09:54 PM
It was "unofficially" known around Boone that several of the players were out drinking and partying til late the night before the Richmond game a few years back when they beat us at home in the quarter finals.

HailSzczur
December 9th, 2010, 10:01 PM
Mr. C, i think that was probably the most through and accuerate break downs of Nova ive seen all year.
you couldnt hace hit the nail more on the head with the break down of the offense

Mntneer
December 9th, 2010, 10:18 PM
Sorry, but not a good write up in several areas. I can't believe the lack of respect for Villanova in this thread.

I have seen Villanova five times in person this year and have seen pretty much the rest of their games on TV, or DVD. I saw eight VU games in person last year. By contrast, I've seen three ASU games in person this season and all the rest on both coaches DVDs and TV, so I know these two teams as well as I know any in the country.

There was no doubt that Villanova HAD to win against Delaware to get in. Again folks, the committee is not accepting teams with less than SEVEN D-I wins. If Montana got left out with six D-I wins, no six win team is getting an at-large bid.

Anyone who thinks Villanova isn't a good passing team hasn't seen them play very much. And while Chris Whitney doesn't throw the prettiest passes, he is eighth nationally in passing efficiency. The Wildcats like to run first, but they definitely can beat you by passing, if they protect Whitney. Should Whitney be forced out, however, VU has a huge hole at QB and probably would stick Matt Szczur back there, instead of junior walk-on Christian Culicerto from Charlotte Catholic High School. The only other scholarship QB is Dustin Thomas, who has missed much time with mono this season and is being redshirted to start next season.

Saying that all the Wildcats have is Matt Szczur is one of the most foolish things ever written on AGS. Villanova has mutiple playmakers. Aaron Ball is the second leading rusher in school history. The only guy he trails is some guy named Brian Westbrook. Ben Ijalana at left tackle and Brant Clouser at left guard have started EVERY game in the past four years. Ijalana is simply the best player in FCS this season and will be a first or second round NFL draft choice. With Ijalana in the lineup, the Cats should all but totally neutralize Jabari Fletcher at right defensive end. The key matchup on the line will be how LDE John Rizor plays against ROT Chidozie Ekweozor. Ekweozor can be a weak link for the Cats at times. Mickey Matthews called Villanova's offensive line the best ever in the history of CAA/A-10/Yankee football.

Norman White has developed into one of the top receivers in the country (don't judge on numbers, but on when he makes catches — 10 TDs). White is 6-3 and 215 and creates similar matchup problems to Brian Quick for ASU. Not quite as good as Quick, but close. The Cats lost their third best receiver (behind Szczur and White) when Dorian Wells had his spleen rupture in practice last week and had season-ending surgery. But the Wildcats are similar to ASU in that they have lots of numbers at WR and ar fairly interchangable. Angelo Babbaro is effective as a runner, receiver and returnman. He opened the game against Delaware with a kickoff return for a TD to give VU an emotional boost.

ASU's secondary has been the weakest link for the Mountaineer defense and if Whitney gets time to throw, he can exploit them. Whitney has had trouble with turnovers in the past, but only has five interceptions this year. He is also a tough running threat if he scrambles out of the pocket and is one of the toughest QBs in FCS.

On defense, Villanova (using a slick 3-3-5 set) has the seventh best rushing defense in the country. Going against the seventh-best rushing attack in ASU makes this a real interesting. The Cats have dominated the line of scrimmage against Temple, Delaware and several other run-oriented teams. The Cats have been decimated by injuries up front, but freshman DE Rakim Cox in particular has come on strong. Senior linebackers Terence Thomas and Marquis Kirkland have tons of experience and are keys to the VU defense. They will run blitz, pass blitz and can also cover well. The Villanova secondary is also used for run support, particularly strong safety John Dempsey. Weak safety Fred Maldonado has also had a very good year. If the Cats have a weakness on defense it is that they sometimes can be beaten on deep balls and play-action. Brian Quick will be difficult for this secondary (as with all secondaries) to defend. Tight end Ben Jorden could also be a frequent target on Saturday. ASU would probably be well served to use the pass to set up the run, instead of what it usually likes to do. Probably no FCS team runs more looks on defense than Villanova and the Cats are very good at confusing quarterbacks (just ask Joe Flacco and Jeremy Moses). Villanova like to scheme teams to death.

One area of weakness for Villanova this season has been the kicking game, which probably cost the Cats two games (Temple and Rhode Island). But Nick Yako has been replaced by Mark Hamilton and Hamilton was a cool 4-of-4 on field goals last week. The Cats were 3-of-10 on field goals and missed several extra points during the regular season.

When Villanova has struggled this year, turnovers have been a big reason why.

Also be on the lookout for trick plays. Probably no FCS teams runs gimmick plays better than VU and the coaches know just the right times to pull them out.

ASU generally has a nice speed advantage against FCS squads, but Villanova is probably one of the three or four fastest teams in FCS. DeAndre Presley will be the key man for ASU, as he is in most games. He has tom make sure that he doesn't make turnovers and he has to pass the ball effectively. It could be a tough day for the ASU tailbacks, so Presley will probably need to have a big day. ASU also has an advantage on the OL with its experience aaginst an inexperienced VU defensive front.

Another interesting fact. Several of the Villanova coaches are friends with the ASU staff. VU came up and spent spring practice with ASU before the 2007 season when the Cats were making adjustments in their offense. These teams know each other pretty well for squads that have never played.

In my eyes, this is the most intriguing game of the playoffs and I believe that the winner of this hard-fought contest will win the national championship. ASU will have an advantage, playing at home, but Villanova will be a tough team to take out. I can't wait for noon on Saturday.

Speaking of a lack of respect......is it ok if App still shows up on Saturday?

VUCats02
December 9th, 2010, 11:01 PM
Speaking of a lack of respect......is it ok if App still shows up on Saturday?

You're seriously asking this after this whole thread was started showing how App is the better team and will win on Saturday? Just different oppinions from different people. I haven't seen much of App this year, so I can't say much about them, but Mr. C pretty was spot on in his evaluation of Nova.

The only thing I would question from his post is the fact that Nova is prone to the deep ball. I know that last year we had some problems with this, especially in the semi-final game against W&M in which they scored on a 98 yard pass play, but this year not so much. The secondary plays deep coverage and will allow Presley to throw 5-7 yard hitches all day.

While this is frustrating sometimes as a Nova fan, it seems to be a great philosophy because we rarely give up a big play and by making the other team pass the ball for five yards down the field, you are increasing your chance of getting a turnover on defense for the sole reason that you're making them run a lot of plays to score. The downside of this is that our defense can get pretty winded at times being out there on long drives, but Nova's offense is built to control the clock and let the defense rest.

The biggest factor for Nova is the first quarter. In all of our FCS losses this year, we have started awfully. Got down huge to W&M early - couldn't catch up. Didn't show up whatsoever in the first half against Rhode Island. Turned the ball over early and played horrific in the first quarter against UNH. The slow start happened last week as well, but fortunately that time we were able to pick it up before the game got out of hand. Nova cannot afford to start off slow in this one. If it's a three point game after the first quarter, I will feel good about our chances for the last 3 quarters.

Mntneer
December 9th, 2010, 11:12 PM
I seriously am. bigCs prediction seemed pretty fair to Nova, and he predicted no blowout. Then Mr C comes along and basically explains how the prediction was terribly and implied ASU is no match for Nova. There was very little if anything positive spoken about App in that post, so yeah the question stands if it's ok if we show up.

VUCats02
December 10th, 2010, 07:26 AM
Well why don't you guys show up considering you're favorites to win the game?

AAadict
December 10th, 2010, 07:39 AM
Speaking of a lack of respect......is it ok if App still shows up on Saturday?

This was freakin' funny. After Mr. C wrote "War and Peace" about VU this was a great follow. Good humor!

Black and Gold Express
December 10th, 2010, 09:42 AM
I still don't think this will be close in the end. Nova reminds me of Delaware 2007, and we all know how that one panned out. Perhaps Mr. C is correct, we'll find out in about 26 hours.

VU 17
ASU 35

appstate38
December 10th, 2010, 10:21 AM
Still the matchups up front will make the difference. Whoever controls the LOS wins this one. Our DLine will have a great challenge tomorrow.

jmufan999
December 10th, 2010, 10:24 AM
so yeah the question stands if it's ok if we show up.

you're going to be that guy? it really kind of makes you come across like a baby.

AAadict
December 10th, 2010, 10:51 AM
I still don't think this will be close in the end. Nova reminds me of Delaware 2007, and we all know how that one panned out. Perhaps Mr. C is correct, we'll find out in about 26 hours.

VU 17
ASU 35

VU should not remind you of UD in 07. We did not have a defense that year. Only on the back of Joe Flacco did we get there and that was with a weak receiver group. VU is balanced and #4 is a guy you know you have to cover but damn if he didn't just beat you. I would still bet on ASU in this game but it's going to be a razor thin margin IMO.

bigCasu
December 10th, 2010, 11:20 AM
Wow, I get slammed by a professional writer, and he goes on to agree with several of my points? Just like anyone, I write for my audience, which is Mountaineer fans. I broke down the Villanova/SFA game, play by play, diagrammed out on pencil and paper the particulars of each play they ran on offense. Was it the only Nova game I saw this year? Yes, and in some cases, thats one more than I watch of other Moutaineer opponents. I spent more time on Nova then I have on any other team this year, because they deserve it, as defending national champs, and because it was easy for me to DVR the game. Mr C, I am sorry, this is not my day job. I should bow down to you.

Mr. C
December 10th, 2010, 11:45 AM
I seriously am. bigCs prediction seemed pretty fair to Nova, and he predicted no blowout. Then Mr C comes along and basically explains how the prediction was terribly and implied ASU is no match for Nova. There was very little if anything positive spoken about App in that post, so yeah the question stands if it's ok if we show up.


I guess you missed the part where I said ASU had the edge. It's just that the ASU crowd is seriously underestimating the defending national champs.

charliej
December 10th, 2010, 12:45 PM
I didn't mind either write up. Each had its own slant,which is to be expected. If two people describe the same coin from opposite sides...what they describe will be different. IMO Good job all around.




I think the game will be won by a TD or less.Should be a great game!
My guess
Nova,27
ASU, 24

UncleSam
December 10th, 2010, 12:56 PM
Nova 38 ASU 28

VUCats02
December 11th, 2010, 03:05 PM
Once again I think that we are playing an OVERRATED team. Yes I said it, OVERRATED! When your best player goes down you still win games, like when AE went down. DP came in and we won our games. When Sczur went down they stumbled, which lets me know that he's all they truly have. When he is in the game the others become better players because of the attention he gets, but shut him down, they lose... and they lose big...

The Greatest Show On Earth 38
The Most Overrated Show on Earth 14

You were close.....Nova only won by 18 but 24 difference was a good guess! :-) ;-)