ASU-Virginia Tech, Part II
Appalachian State hopes for a better showing against Virginia Tech on Saturday than it had in its last meeting against an FBS opponent – a 48-10 loss to Florida last season.
DeAndre Presley, the Mountaineers’ quarterback, said that he felt his team was restrained because of the timing of the Florida game, which was played at the end of the regular season and just before the start of the FCS playoffs. He said that the Mountaineers played conservatively and didn’t pull out all stops.
“I respect the coaches’ decision, they made a great call and everybody went into the playoffs healthy,” Presley said. But he was disappointed that the Mountaineers didn’t score more. Part of the reason was stalled drives, largely due to first-half penalties. Florida built a 28-0 lead by halftime.
He said he thinks it might be different this time around.
“We’re going to play ball,” Presley said. “We know we have a great chance to beat them and that’s exactly what we’re looking to do.”
Presley on what it will take to put points on the board against Virginia Tech:
“We know they’re an aggressive defense,” Presley said. “We have to make the most of every down. We have to play in front of the sticks, we can’t play behind. We can’t start out second and 12. We have to limit turnovers – no turnovers, really.”
The lack of turnovers was a key for James Madison last season in its upset of the Hokies. The Dukes didn’t have any. The Hokies had three.
Coach Frank Beamer of Virginia Tech has said all week that his team has no reason to take ASU lightly. He described his opponent as a team not only is capable of winning but one that expects to win.
“They are not in the same division as we are (FBS), but they could play in our division,” Beamer said. “They certainly have the capabilities of playing in this division.”
Beamer said that playing a highly-ranked FCS opponent isn’t without risk, and that it’s a game he doesn’t particularly like on the schedule.
“You schedule who you can schedule,” Beamer said. “A lot of times it’s not who you like to schedule, it’s who you can schedule.”
ASU will debut its newly-installed 3-4 defensive alignment on Saturday, but quarterback Logan Thomas of the Hokies said that his team has prepared for both the 3-4 and the 4-3.
“We’re not sure what they’re going to do,” Thomas said. As for the 3-4, he said: “We’ve seen it before, and we’re going to see it again. We’ve studied it ever since we’ve know we had to play them. We know what they can do so we’ll be ready for anything they throw at us.”
With all the talk about ASU’s proposed move to the FBS, Presley said that he is aware that any poor performance this season will result in some added razzing from opposing fans and some outside the program.
“It will happen,” Presley said. “I have no doubt. But it’s not something we worry about.”