Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Quality can be debated, but competition has been outstanding in the Southern Conference’s North Division this season.
Looking ahead, it stands to reason that the race for a regular-season title as well as first-round tournament byes for the top two teams will be close when things wrap up two weeks from now.
Final standings could resemble 2008-09, when only two teams in the North wound up with winning records in league play. Chattanooga and Western Carolina locked up the top two spots that season with 11-9 marks.
As it stands now, Elon (8-4) is in the strongest position toward wrapping up one of the two all-important tournament byes but the Phoenix has challenges ahead. Their remaining opponents have a combined winning record in league play, and four of their remaining games are on the road.
UNC Greensboro (7-5) is in second place by virtue of its recent seven-game winning streak. The Spartans also have work ahead, with four of their remaining six games on the road and against teams with a combined winning record in league play.
Samford (6-6) is in third place, has the most prestigious victories as of late (beating Davidson and winning at Wofford) but has the toughest remaining schedule among North Division teams in regard to opponents with winning records.
Appalachian State (5-8) and Western Carolina (4-8) still have a shot, but both need a late-season run. Chattanooga (3-9) was picked in preseason polls to win the North but is mired in last.
ASU appears to have the easiest schedule left – in that remaining opponents have a combined 22-40 league mark (.355) – although three of the Mountaineers’ remaining five games are on the road.
As in any tight race, winning close games is usually a difference maker. UNCG (4-0 in games decided by three points or less or in overtime), Elon (2-0) and Samford (4-1) have been successful in winning close league games.
ASU (0-3) and Western Carolina (0-3) have come up on the short end. The Mountaineers have lost two league games by less than two points and another in overtime. WCU has lost two by three points, and one in overtime.
UNCG’s margin has been thin, but has been a difference maker. The Spartans have won four conference games by either one point or in overtime.
Finally, standings including games ONLY between North Division opponents are telling of how closely-matched the teams are. Only two games separate first and sixth place.
Standings including games only between North Division teams:
Elon 4-2
UNCG 4-3
ASU 4-4
Samford 3-3
WCU 3-4
Chattanooga 2-4
This week’s Southern Conference rankings (teams get two points for a road win, one point for a home win, minus-one for a road loss and minus-two for a home loss in conference games only):
1. Davidson (16 points)
2. Georgia Southern (8)
3. Elon (5)
4. Wofford (4)
5. UNC Greensboro (2)
6. Samford (0)
7. College of Charleston (-1)
Furman (-1)
9. Appalachian State (-5)
10. Western Carolina (-6)
11. Chattanooga (-8)
12. The Citadel (-14)
North vs. South: South Division leads 20-12.
Friday, February 03, 2012
Now that signing day has come and gone, the next big events for Appalachian State football will be Pro Day on March 19 and the start of spring practice, which will begin that same week.
A few players that missed part or all of last season are expected to be back on the field when spring practice begins.
Lanston Tanyi, a linebacker who missed much of last season for an unspecified university issue, is back with the team. So is Kendall Lamm, an offensive tackle who was dismissed by Coach Jerry Moore last season for a conduct issue.
Linebacker Justin Wray, who missed all of last season recovering from a shoulder injury, and running back Rod Chisholm, who sat out for academic reasons, are expected to participate in spring drills.
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Appalachian State announced a signing class of 19 players today, and coach Jerry Moore said there was no compromise in quality despite some trying circumstances during recruiting season when staff attrition left the effort short on manpower.
In fact, Moore said he is particularly excited about this year’s class.
“If you’re not careful, you’ll compromise,” Moore said. “It’s sort of like going shopping. You’ve got a budget, and you might set out to go buy three shirts. You find two you really like and on the way out you grab a third just to get it done.
“We did a pretty good job this year of not taking the third shirt. We’re very satisfied with who we recruited and we think that they’re terrific football players.”
Moore shared an anecdote about a conversation he had with one of the recruits. He said that it typified the type of character that was targeted.
“You talk to (recruits) and there’s always the small-talk about being an all-American, coming here and winning national championships, about getting all these bling rings and all that stuff,” Moore said.
“But when you get through all that stuff, you ask this guy, ‘What you really want out of college?’ One said, ‘I don’t want to disappoint my dad.’
“I just think those are the kind of players we have coming in here. I think we have a lot of them already here and I think we’ve backed them up with another really special class. I don’t know that I’ve been quite as excited about a class in a long, long time.”
Read more on this year’s recruiting class in Thursday’s Winston-Salem Journal.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Getting bench points isn’t a problem for Appalachian State right now.
Omar Carter, the Mountaineers’ top scorer, hasn’t started the last three games. But he’s come off the bench and averaged 19.7 points in those three games.
What began as being benched by Coach Jason Capel for performance issues has continued because it’s working well.
Carter said he’s not enamored with the idea, but he’s making the most of it.
“Honestly, I’m all about starting, but I said at the beginning of the year I’ll be what the team needs me to be,” said Carter, a senior guard. “Nate Healy brings unbelievable energy for us and he’s starts the game off for us and breaths life into the team.”
And, Carter said, “I’m playing better coming off the bench.”
Capel said that he will stick with Carter in a sixth-man type role.
“A lot of issues I’ve had with Omar at times don’t show up on the stat sheet,” Capel said. “He’s one of the guys that a senior and I need him to lock in mentally – to box out, to rebound, to not blow defensive assignments. I thought he did a heck of a job not doing any of that (against Elon).”
Carter feasted from the free-throw line against Western Carolina and UNC Greensboro – hitting 24 of 27 free throws in those two games – and made 9 of 13 free throws on Saturday against Elon.
“I had been settling for 3s,” said Carter, who was 0 for 3 from 3-point range. “Most of the time I have bad games just shooting from the (3-point line). I need to get to my hot spots and that’s really mid-range.”
This week’s Southern Conference rankings (teams get two points for a road win, one point for a home win, minus-one for a road loss and minus-two for a home loss in conference games only):
1. Davidson (12 points)
2. Wofford (7)
3. Georgia Southern (5)
4. Elon (2)
UNC Greensboro (2)
6. Furman (1)
7. Appalachian State (0)
8. College of Charleston (-2)
9. Samford (-4)
10. Western Carolina (-5)
11. Chattanooga (-6)
12. The Citadel (-12)
Hot and Cold: UNC Greensboro, after beginning the season 2-14, has won six straight SoCon games. So has defending champion Wofford. On the losing side, The Citadel has lost six straight games, Chattanooga five in a row and Western Carolina four in a row.
North vs. South: South Division leads 16-8.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
For one game at least, Appalachian State was a free-throw machine.
The Mountaineers entered Saturday’s game against Western Carolina ranked last in the 12-team Southern Conference in free-throw accuracy at 60.7 percent.
It hasn’t been for lack of trying. Coach Jason Capel says that his team shoots more than its share of free throws in practice.
Practice, or something, paid off against Western. The Mountaineers made 30 of 36 three-throw attempts (83 percent). They were a perfect 16 of 16 from the free-throw line in the final 2:15 and sealed a victory.
“We shoot more free throws than any team in the country, I’m convinced,” Capel said. “Free throws are a tricky thing. You don’t want to get into guys’ heads, have them thinking so much and it becomes psychological.
“We mix free throws into our drills, we mix free throws into our competitive stuff. We mix free throws into everything. We shoot a lot of free throws, to say the least.
“I want to think our concentration is getting better. I want to think our attention to detail is better.”
Southern Conference rankings (teams get two points for a road win, one point for a home win, minus-one for a road loss and minus-two for a home loss – conference games only):
1. Davidson (11 points)
2. Georgia Southern (4)
3. Wofford (2)
4. Elon (1)
5. Appalachian (0)
College of Charleston (0)
UNC Greensboro (0)
8. Western Carolina (-1)
9. Chattanooga (-2)
10. Furman (-3)
11. Samford (-4)
12. The Citadel (-8)
Hot and Cold: Davidson has a league-best seven-game winning streak. UNC Greensboro, after beginning the season 2-14, has won four straight SoCon games. Wofford has won three in a row. The Citadel has lost four straight, and Chattanooga has lost its last three games.
North vs. South: South Division leads 12-7.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Southern Conference rankings (teams get two points for a road win, one point for a home win, minus-one for a road loss and minus-two for a home loss – conference games only):
1. Davidson (9 points)
2. Georgia Southern (3)
3. College of Charleston (2)
Elon (2)
5. Appalachian (0)
Chattanooga (0)
Western Carolina (0)
8. Wofford (-1)
9. Furman (-2)
UNC Greensboro (-2)
11. Samford (-5)
12. The Citadel (-6)
Hot teams: Davidson has a five-game winning streak. UNC Greensboro, once 2-14 overall, has won its last two SoCon games.
North vs. South: South Division leads 11-7.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Southern Conference rankings (teams get two points for a road win, one point for a home win, minus-one for a road loss and minus-two for a home loss – conference games only):
1. Davidson (6 points)
2. College of Charleston (3)
Georgia Southern (3)
Western Carolina (3)
5. Appalachian (1)
Elon (1)
7. Chattanooga (0)
8. Wofford (-1)
9. The Citadel (-2)
10. Furman (-3)
11. Samford (-5)
12. UNC Greensboro (-6)
Hot and cold:
Davidson (3-game winning streak)
UNC Greensboro (11-game losing streak), Elon and Samford (5-game losing streaks)
North vs. South:
South Division leads 6-2.
App State notes:
Ike Butts, ASU’s 6-10, 285-pound center, has returned to practice and is expected to be available to play Thursday night against Furman.
Butts didn’t travel with the team to games at Samford and Chattanooga after being suspended by coach Jason Capel for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
Guard Rodney Milum has not yet returned to the team. He has missed three games, having returned home to tend to a family-related matter.
It appears as if the Mountaineers could very likely finish this season with two freshmen in their starting lineup, based on the production of point guard Mike Neal and shooting guard Tab Hamilton so far.
Capel said that he didn’t want his freshmen in the starting lineup so soon, but that it’s been necessary.
“Ideally, you want to bring the young guys along slowly,” Capel said. “They didn’t play at Minnesota, because I felt the physicality of that game we needed experienced players in there.
“But as the season has gone on, at certain times I’ve had to push guys to the bench because of effort and put the young guys in. They’re going to make mistakes, but they’re going to give you effort. Now that they’re starting to get better, and have gotten confidence and their teammates have gotten confidence in them, it’s been a breath of fresh air for our team.
“Both of those guys are going to start. I think Mike is our best point guard now as far as decision-making and things, even though he will make mistakes. But he’s going to make plays that’s going to make our team better. And Tab is the same way.”
Read more on freshman Tab Hamilton in Thursday’s Winston-Salem Journal.
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Scott Satterfield, Appalachian State’s new assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, started in 27 games at quarterback during his ASU playing career. As a senior in 1995, he led the Mountaineers to a perfect 11-0 regular season.
Following is an article on Satterfield that appeared in the Winston-Salem Journal on Nov. 24, 1995:
A Winner
Satterfield may not be the most skill QB, but he compensates with victories for ASU
By Tommy Bowman
Journal Reporter
Scott Satterfield is amused with the euphemistic terms that people sometimes use in describing his play as Appalachian State’s quarterback.
They range from “blue collar” to “gutsy” to “great leader.”
Unmasked, they mean that Satterfield isn’t a great passer or extremely fast runner.
“Everybody kids me,” said Satterfield, who will lead the unbeaten Mountaineers into a first-round Division I-AA playoff game Saturday against James Madison. “The trainer says that I’m the worst quarterback for any 11-0 team in America. I don’t care. I believe we’ve been winning.”
The descriptions aren’t knocks as much as compliments, because Satterfield has been successful regardless of skill level.
Satterfield probably isn’t the most skilled quarterback. But he might be the most exciting one to play for the Mountaineers.
He has a knack for winning. The Mountaineers have won 19 of the last 21 games in which Satterfield has started.
Starting has often been the toughest challenge for Satterfield, a 6-1, 195-pound senior from Hillsborough.
Bound for East Carolina as a student only, Satterfield changed his mind and accepted an invitation to walk on at ASU. He spent his first season as a scout-team quarterback, impressed coaches with his work ethic and comprehension. He played sparingly the next season, as a redshirt freshman, and moved up to No. 2 for his sophomore year but wound up a starter when Andy Arnold broke a collarbone in preseason practice.
“I probably wasn’t ready (to start),” Satterfield said. “They year before I was only in for about 12 plays. Looking back, I don’t think many of us were prepared for that season, but we’ve come a long way since.”
The Mountaineers lost their opener to N.C. A&T that season. Satterfield didn’t play again until the fifth game, when he entered in the closing moments and led the Mountaineers to a come-from-behind victory. Satterfield finished the season as the starter, leading them to three straight wins.
Satterfield, however, wound up in the back seat at the beginning of last season. Arnold, who had never started a game, returned for one more season and got the nod at quarterback.
“That was tough,” Satterfield said. “I wasn’t happy about it. The year before I had started seven games and I worked hard all summer, but I understood about Andy being a senior and him getting a chance. I just tried not to dwell on it. As long as we were winning, that was fine. But when we started not to win, it got frustrating.”
In the sixth game of last season, the Mountaineers trailed 17-0 after one quarter at Georgia Southern. Satterfield replaced Arnold, passed for 287 yards and three touchdowns and led the Mountaineers back to tie the score at 31 before the Eagles kicked a last-minute field goal.
Satterfield has had job security since, despite playing hurt through last season’s playoffs and playing with stitches in his throwing hand early this season. He missed only this year’s Furman game, when he sat out to let some wounds heal.
“He really commands the respect of our players,” Coach Jerry Moore of the Mountaineers said. “He isn’t afraid to take a hit. He hobbles to the sideline and you ask him if he’s OK and you know what he’s going to say.”
Moore said that Satterfield’s main asset is leadership ability.
“He’s earned his way to here, from playing on that scout team and handling the situation (of not starting at the beginning of last season)…. We’ve all sent in our ballots for all-conference. Jim Donnan and Charlie Taaffe and I were talking, and both of them made mention that they would vote for him as all-conference quarterback. We’ve been saying that all along. Maybe we look for some things that others don’t look for, but Scott has all the ingredients that make you win.”
Satterfield, who was named first-team all-conference, is adept at running the Mountaineers’ option offense as well as scrambling for big gains. He has rushed for 1,663 yards and 25 touchdowns. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass in his first two seasons but has thrown for 3,618 and 15 touchdowns since.
To Satterfield, statistics and compliments don’t matter that much.
“I’d rather be 11-0 than get a lot of yards and lose,” he said. “I’m not too pretty when I do certain things out there, but I feel I can run and pass well enough to get the job done. I’ll take whatever compliments people give me. Whatever. It doesn’t matter to me as long as we win.”
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Scott Satterfield has been “an ASU guy” ever since he arrived at Appalachian State as an obscure walk-on in 1991.
He wound up starting 27 games at quarterback before his first career at ASU was done, and he experienced both the best and the worst of Coach Jerry Moore’s ASU career while he was there.
Satterfield was part of the 1993 team that was 4-7 – Moore’s only losing season in 23 years as ASU’s coach. He endured a season with an unsettled quarterback situation.
“I started the very first game that year as a sophomore and ended up turning the ball over about five times,” Satterfield said. “It was disastrous. I went from first string to fifth string.”
He worked his way back up, and led a much-improved 1994 team as a junior that stumbled in a regular-season finale to winless VMI but roared back to win in an overtime playoff game at New Hampshire. The Mountaineers then gave Boise State a run in the national quarterfinals before losing 17-14 on blue turf.
In 1995, Satterfield’s senior season was a perfect 11-0. There was nearly another stumble in a regular-season finale at The Citadel, but Satterfield teamed with receiver Ron Gilliam for a desperation touchdown pass with little more than a minute remaining to pull out a 28-24 victory.
“We had a lot of players that just had grit and fight, and I think that’s what the whole program has been made of,” Satterfield said.
After graduating, Satterfield wanted to coach at ASU but there wasn’t an opening on the staff at the time. So he sold insurance during football season.
“It was the most miserable fall of my life,” said Satterfield, who landed a job as an assistant coach at Mitchell County High School the next year.
In 1998, Satterfield began an 11-year run as an ASU assistant when he was hired as wide receivers coach. He coached running backs for four seasons beginning in 1999, and then moved to quarterbacks coach for six seasons.
He expanded his horizons and padded his resume in 2009, moving on to Toledo as co-offensive coordinator. The last two seasons, he was offensive coordinator at Florida International – a young bowl-division program that jumped from a three-win season to back-to-back bowl appearances while Satterfield was there.
Today, Satterfield returned to ASU for a third time. He was named assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.
Moore, who hasn’t designated an offensive coordinator since Rob Best left for Buffalo in 2002, said the time is right for one after this past season’s team produced the program’s lowest scoring and yardage totals since 2003. And for Satterfield to return, he would need to do so at least as an offensive coordinator.
Moore and Satterfield both said that the title of assistant coach is not part of any guarantee that Satterfield will automatically take over as head coach when Moore, 72, is finished coaching.
But Satterfield hopes it is a step toward becoming ASU’s next head coach.
“I felt like I could have stayed at Florida International – I get down there and we’ve had two of the best seasons in the history of that program – and a lot of those kids coming back and they’re going to be good next year,” Satterfield said. “But I just wanted to come back here and do as much as I can do…to help this university No. 1 and hopefully prove to people that I’m ready to take the program after Coach Moore decides that it’s enough for him.
“Whether it’s me or somebody else, that remains to be seen, but (athletics director) Charlie (Cobb) obviously told me that I would get an opportunity (to be considered) to be the next head coach here and that’s all I can ask for.
“I just want to prove myself worthy of that….I’ll just do my best and let the chips fall where they may.”
Satterfield will fill the role of quarterbacks coach, and Moore said that three other open positions – as result of Mark Speir becoming head coach at Western Carolina and taking ASU assistants with him – will likely be filled by next week.
Satterfield said that the move of ASU assistants to Western Carolina will add “a little juice” to that rivalry. He said that he thinks a lot of Speir, but personally wouldn’t have taken a job at WCU.
“It would be very, very hard for me to put a purple t-shirt on, I can tell you that,” Satterfield said.
Read more on Satterfield’s return to ASU in Thursday’s Winston-Salem Journal.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Omar Carter isn’t just Appalachian State’s top scorer, he was a leader in making Christmas a bit more merrier for children from needy families in the Boone area.
Carter and his mother Stephanie organized a project in which about 20 kids were invited to the Dec. 22 basketball game against Campbell, got to meet ASU team members afterward and were given donated toys to take home.
Carter said that he was involved in a similar Operation Christmas Child community project when he was at Charleston Southern before transferring to ASU.
“The whole team got involved with this,” Carter said. “We signed autographs, gave out toys, played ball with the kids and just talked to them. It was very nice, and they all seemed to leave happy.”
Carter, a Sociology major from Charlotte, said that he loves working with children.
“And not everybody has what they need and this was a way to give back to the community,” he said. “I love doing this.”
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