More offense, less defense in store for ASU-Wofford?
It’s kind of like stating the obvious, but Appalachian State will need some offensive production on Saturday against Wofford.
The Mountaineers didn’t get a single point from their offense last Saturday, but were rescued by the defense in a 14-12 victory over Chattanooga.
The last time ASU won a game without scoring an offensive point? Probably never. Complete records date to 1965, and such a dubious feat has yet to be recorded.
“I don’t think we’ve ever gone without scoring in the first half,” said quarterback DeAndre Presley, whose frustrations were further compounded in the second half. The Mountaineers wound up 5 of 14 on third-down conversions and perhaps the most striking statistic for what has been such a prolific offense was an 0-for-1 in red-zone opportunities.
Chances are, the Mountaineers’ offense will do much better against Wofford than it did against a strong Chattanooga defense. The Mountaineers have scored 43, 44, 70 and 31 points in their last four meetings with the Terriers.
But on the flip side, chances are that the Mountaineers’ defense won’t be able to shut down the Terriers as it did Chattanooga. The pass-oriented Mocs were vulnerable to ASU’s constant pressure. The blitz won’t be a weapon against the running Terriers. Focused assignments will be, and, for a defense with four freshman starters that has yet to see a triple-option attack this season, it will be more of a challenge.
One interesting stat, however: the Mountaineers did well last season against the SoCon’s triple-option teams. They held Georgia Southern, The Citadel and Wofford to less than 200 yards rushing, well below those teams’ average.
For Wofford, which likes ball control and zero mistakes, it won’t be able to lose four fumbles as it did in last season’s 43-13 loss to the Mountaineers. And the Terriers will need to improve upon the uncharacteristic 83 yards in penalties it has racked up this season.