More details about that in Friday’s Winston-Salem Journal.

Gary and Rizor emerged as viable options to start at defensive end during spring practice with returning starters Jabari Fletcher and Lanston Tanyi out with injuries, and they solidified their status in preseason camp with their performance coupled with the fact that Fletcher and Tanyi both missed more practice time because of short-term ailments.

Mark Speier, the Mountaineers’ defensive ends coach, expects all four to rotate and get plenty of playing time.

Rizor has bulked up from 228 pounds last season to 242.

“Our strength coordinator has gotten us all stronger and bigger in the weight room,” Rizor said. “When you have a big ol’ offensive lineman coming to kick you out, having the extra weight is going to help.”

Gary, a former tight end, switched to defensive end right before the playoffs last season.

“I played mostly defense in high school and that’s something I wanted to get back to,” Gary said. “I love this side of the ball.”

The Mountaineers appear set to begin the season with quality depth at defensive end, which includes a fifth player in Jason Jones.

“We feel good about the rotation,” Rizor said. “In our case, you always have someone coming in off the bench who can make plays.”

Gary said: “It’s a strength of our defense to have this many defensive ends that can play.”

Speir said: “It’s a great ‘problem.’ We have a bunch of guys wanting to start, and a bunch of guys capable of starting. They’ll all have their opportunity to go out and produce and win the job.”

Devon Moore returns for his senior season after rushing for 1,374 yards and 19 touchdowns last season. Travaris Cadet, former quarterback and receiver, will now add his elusive running ability to the mix.

And the Mountaineers can also turn to Devin Radford, the former Virginia Tech transfer whose speed, when healthy, is an asset; Cedric Baker, a dependable back who has accounted for 416 yards as a backup and always seems to get the job done; as well as Rod Chisholm, who remains a candidate to break through with three seasons left to play.

Coach Jerry Moore was asked this week if he has ever had this much depth at running back.

“Probably not the quality of depth we have right now,” Moore said. “I feel like we have four or five guys that are all pretty good football players.”

Moore was also asked if the backups can get enough playing time to be content.

“Those kids are good with it,” Moore said. “There’s not a player in that bunch that is selfish. They’re all about our team. They don’t care who is blocking, who is catching and who is running. They’re great kids that way.”

Get your questions and comments ready as the Mountaineers head into their season opener against Chattanooga!

Butts, a 6-10, 285-pound senior who has career averages of 7.2 points and 7.1 rebounds, had surgery Aug. 13 to repair damage to his left knee sustained in a pickup basketball game.

“He is in the process of rehabbing right now,” Capel said. “We have explored the possibility of red-shirting him but we have not come to a complete decision yet, but it’s definitely a conversation we’re having.”

The best case for Butts for this coming season?

“He could be back in about 3 to 3½ months,” Capel said, which would put Butts back in action by December. But Capel said the decision will be put off as long as possible, to be sure if Butts is ready.

“Last year and he limped around quite a bit because of his other knee,” said Capel, referring to surgery that Butts had on his right knee last August after an injury in practice. “He wasn’t healthy at all last year. I don’t want to put that kid what he went through last year. I want him to be healthy. If he’s healthy, he’ll play. If he’s not, we’re going to make sure he gets healthy.”

The site, PlayAtTheRock.com, will feature videos, virtual tours, photos, news and highlights. It is designed by Frogman Interactive of Winston-Salem and is up and running as a template and is expected to be fully functional this fall.

He and other former Appalachian State players seem to have a knack for coming up with big plays against some of the NFL’s biggest names.

Last season, Jason Hunter sacked and Corey Lynch intercepted Brett Favre, and Murrell sacked and stripped the ball from Michael Vick.

On Thursday, Murrell, playing in his first preseason game with the New England Patriots, sacked Drew Brees for a nine-yard loss on the opening series.

“I just knew I needed to get on the edge to get to the quarterback as fast as I could,” Murrell told the Boston Herald. “I just hit him with a move up front and tried to cut the corner. And there was Brees.”

Here’s how former ASU players fared this weekend in their first NFL preseason games of the season:

Matt Dodge (P, Giants) –  Dodge, who punted for ASU in 2005 before transferring to East Carolina, will make his NFL debut Monday night against the Jets.

Armanti Edwards (WR, Panthers) – Two catches for 13 yards, one kickoff return for 17 yards and a 7-yard average on four punt returns in a 17-12 loss to the Ravens.

Jason Hunter (DE, Lions) – One tackle and one assist in a 23-7 loss to the Steelers.

Dexter Jackson (WR, Panthers) – Two catches for 35 yards, including a 25-yard reception, in a 17-12 loss to the Ravens.

Corey Lynch (FS, Bengals) – Four tackles and a blocked punt in a 10-7 loss to the Dolphins.

Marques Murrell (OLB, Patriots) – Two tackles and a sack in a 27-24 victory over the Saints.

Elder, a popular quarterback at ASU from 2004 through 2007, is now the Mountaineers’ receivers coach, replacing Lance Taylor, who took a job as an offensive assistant with the New York Jets.

“He’s right for the job,” Moore said. “He knows so much about our offense for one thing. I also gave a lot of consideration to the fact that we’re opening up against Chattanooga (a Southern Conference opponent), in terms of sending plays in and getting them done right and quickly. Trey has been through that. He is a perfect fit.”

Elder was a graduate assistant at ASU in 2008, and last season was receivers coach at Byrnes High School in Duncan, S.C., where he was a standout quarterback.

“It’s great to be back,” said Elder, whose goal is to someday be an offensive coordinator and eventually a head coach.

The job as ASU receivers coach is a jump start toward that, one that came sooner that he expected.

“I had talked to Coach (Moore) a little bit after Coach Taylor left but I didn’t think much about it at that point,” Elder said. “I wasn’t expecting this. He called me a couple of weeks ago and offered me the job.”

Elder said it didn’t take long to say “Yes”.

“There was no second thought for me,” Elder said. “I jumped at the idea of coming back.”

He said that going from a relatively new coach on the high school level to a college assistant might be a big jump if not for the fact that he is so familiar with ASU’s offense and program.

“It’s been an easy transition knowing the offense inside and out,” Elder said. “And the group I have is deep and experienced. They work hard. It really has been an easy transition for me.”

He knows most of the receivers, one of which is his brother, Blake Elder.

“The first person I called after Coach Moore called me was Blake,” Elder said. “I told him about the job and asked him if he thought we’d be able to do this and he said, ‘Get your butt up here, man.’ Our relationship has always been strong, we’re like best friends as well as brothers, but we both understand the dynamics of a coach. We understand that on the field I’m his coach and off the field I’m his brother.”

Blake Elder said: “It’s going to be different, but it’s going to be good. It’s going to be good for our team. That’s what I’m most excited about. Trey knows football, he knows the guys, and he knows how to motivate and get the most out of people.

“When we’re in the meeting room, he’s the coach and I’m the player. He’ll criticize and push me just like the other players. I’ll do what he says because he’s the coach.”

Daniel Wilcox, a former ASU tight end who played eight seasons in the NFL before being released by the Baltimore Ravens last year, is back in Boone as an assistant strength and conditioning coach.

He looks as if he could still play, and was holding out some hope he would be picked up as a free agent last season, but said that it’s time to move on and coaching could be in his future.

“I’m looking forward to helping here in any way I can,” said Wilcox, who is taking classes toward completing a bachelor’s degree.

His presence alone will help, Coach Jerry Moore said.

“Daniel is someone these guys will look up to,” Moore said.

Wilcox said: “That was a big part of the reason I’m back here, I want these guys to know, ‘if you believe it, you can achieve it.’ If you put your mind to something, you can do it. A lot of people told me I couldn’t play in the NFL, that I wasn’t big enough, fast enough or tall enough, but I pulled it off for eight years. I want them to know what it takes to get there.”

ASU has operated from the Shotgun in recent seasons and will continue to do so, but Brad Glenn, the quarterbacks coach, said that quarterbacks will take some snaps under center.

“We’ll do both,” Glenn said. “We’ll sprinkle in a little under-center, to take a little pressure off the quarterbacks at time and be a little more solid in short-yardage, goal-line and play-action situations. But we’re not really going to change anything major in the offense. It will be largely what it’s been.”

There are two significant differences in the way ASU’s schedule unfolds this season.

The Mountaineers have often opened the season against a bowl-division opponent but this year will play Florida in the final regular-season game. And they don’t typically play a Southern Conference opponent until a few weeks into the season, but will open against league foe Chattanooga.

“There’s no margin for error on that one,” said Moore, whose team will be seeking a sixth straight SoCon title.

As for the late-season game against Florida, Moore knows that will be a challenge.

“Urban (Meyer) and I have been really good friends since he was at Utah,” Moore said. “I just hope that he doesn’t forget it.”

The Mountaineers will open the 2011 season at Virginia Tech. Also on next season’s schedule will be N.C. A&T, according to sources, and one home date against a non-conference opponent has yet to be filled.

Josh Dowdy, RP – Since being promoted to Frederick (Orioles) of the Carolina League (Class A advanced) earlier this month, Dowdy is 1-0 with one save in six appearances. He previously played in 25 games with Delmarva of the South Atlantic League (Class A) and had a 1.23 earned-run average and ranked third in the league with 15 saves.

Andrew Franco, C – Has played in 12 games with Traverse City of the Frontier League (Independent) and has a .171 batting average with two RBIs.

Wes Hobson, DH – He is batting .294 and has 11 RBI, one home run and four stolen bases in 22 games with the Giants of the Arizona League (Rookie).

Chris Patterson, RP – He is 2-1 with a 5.11 earned-run average and has one save for Johnson City (Cardinals) of the Appalachian League (Rookie). Patterson has struck out 16 and walked seven in 12 1/3 innings pitched.

Zach Quate, RP – Has made 34 appearances with Charlotte (Rays) of the Florida State League (Class A advanced). Quate ranks fourth in the league with 16 saves and is 2-2 with a 1.20 earned-run average. He has 67 strikeouts and 12 walks in 52 2/3 innings pitched.

David Rubinstein, RF – He is batting .302 in 81 games with West Virginia (Pirates) of the South Atlantic League (Class A). He has 37 RBIs, one home run and 15 stolen bases.

Garrett Sherrill, RP - Is 6-2 with a 3.96 earned-run average in 30 appearances, mostly in middle relief, with Lake County of the Northern League (Independent). Sherrill has 30 strikes in 36 1/3 innings pitched.

Rand Smith, OF – In 92 games with Greensboro (Marlins) of the South Atlantic League (Class A), Smith is batting .229 and has 33 RBIs, five home runs and 21 steals.

Riding, as in motorcycle.

“I got the itch,” Speir said. “I had never ridden a motorcycle in my life but some of my buddies had been talking about how much they enjoyed their motorcycle trips on Blue Ridge Parkway. So I went and did it.”

Speir borrowed a Kawasaki 550, got his license in May and took off.

“I don’t go fast, but I love it,” he said.

Two years ago, Speir, now 42, had never run so much as a 5K race.

But he jumped into it for a cause, gathering pledges and running marathons to raise money through Samaritan’s Purse to help equip Memorial Children’s Hospital in Bangladesh.

He has participated in four marathons to date, raising $65,000. His latest effort was in May, running the 26.2-mile Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati with Jason Blalock, an ASU assistant, and a several other Boone residents.

Speir will continue the fund-raising effort later this month, but will change gears in the method.

He is putting together a motorcycle charity ride and poker run from Boone to Asheville scheduled for July 31.

“If you want a scenic ride, come and do it,” Speir said.

The entry fee is $30, which includes a Chik-Fil-A lunch and plenty of Blue Ridge Parkway scenery. For more information, contact Speir at speirm@appstate.edu

Satterfield, who is married to the former Beth Burleson, who was a member of ASU’s track and field team in the mid ‘90s, and they have a daughter and two sons.

He brought the family back to Boone, where he spent every year since 1991 before moving on to Toledo as the passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach last season, for vacation. He also spent much of Tuesday at ASU talking football with the Mountaineers’ coaches.

“It’s like family here,” Satterfield said. “It’s a good chance to compare notes and share a few ideas. We’re all doing about the same thing offensively, but you are always looking for ways to tweak here and there.”

FIU was 3-9 overall and 3-5 in the Sun Belt Conference last season.

Satterfield said that he likes the free reign Coach Mario Cristobal has given him as offensive coordinator.

“He’s given me full confidence to run the offense, letting me call it the way I want to call it,” Satterfield said. “I couldn’t ask for anything more than that. Geoff Collins, who was at Western Carolina, is the new defensive coordinator so we’ve got two Southern Conference boys running the offense and defense down there.

“The program is only eight years old, so that part’s kind of tough, but we’re pretty good at skill positions. I think where we have to upgrade a bit is on the offensive and defensive lines.

“The immediate problem was have is that we’ve got Rutgers, Texas A&M, Pittsburgh and Maryland in our first four weeks. We’ve never beaten a BCS school, so it would be nice to get one of those.”

The Mountaineers had seven players chosen in Major League Baseball’s draft over the last two seasons, a school record for the most drafted over a two-year period. That total will likely expand in next week’s 2010 draft.

Relief pitcher Chris Patterson and infielder Wes Hobson are the top candidates in the draft, but pitcher Matt Andress, catcher Jerod Faggart and first baseman David Towarnicky are also considered draft prospects.

Six ASU players are currently playing professional baseball: closer Josh Dowdy (Delmarva, low-A South Atlantic League; catcher Andrew Franco (Traverse City, independent Frontier League); reliever Zach Quate (Charlotte, high-A Florida State League); right fielder David Rubinstein (West Virginia, South Atlantic League); reliever Garrett Sherrill (Lake County, independent Northern League) and outfielder Rand Smith (Greensboro, South Atlantic League).

The Mountaineers finished the season 38-18-1 – one win away from the final in a closely-contested Southern Conference Tournament, but a bit too low in RPI and on sound non-conference wins for NCAA Tournament inclusion.

The SoCon did get three teams in the NCAA field for the first time.

All three teams begin play today: The Citadel against Virginia Tech at 2 p.m.; Elon vs. Alabama at 3; and College of Charleston vs. N.C. State at 7.

Although its non-conference schedule wasn’t particularly impressive, a 31-8-1 record and No. 38 standing in RPI was good enough to begin speculation about NCAA Tournament possibilities.

Then exams hit. And Elon hit. And College of Charleston really hit, to the tune of 37 runs in what turned out to be a second consecutive loss of a three-game series in the tough Southern Conference.

Fact is, the Mountaineers didn’t hit.

“When we finished the month of April we had probably the most confident club I had ever been around,” Coach Chris Pollard of the Mountaineers recalled. “We were just rolling.

“Then all of the sudden we came out of exam break and just weren’t swinging the bats as well. Some guys had some bad at-bats and then started to press. We got ourselves into as bad of a hitting slump as any team I’ve ever coached.”

The slump lasted through six innings of last Friday’s opening game against Wofford. The Mountaineers, who had lost eight of nine games, snapped out with a come-from-behind victory and followed up with 13-4 and 10-3 winis on Saturday to close the regular season 35-16-1.

“We had really lost confidence coming into the Wofford series,” Pollard said. “It’s amazing what three ballgames can do for you, because we were as low as low could get. Now, all of the sudden, we’ve got some air back in our sails.”

So, the Mountaineers will look to reverse their fortunes against red-hot College of Charleston on Wednesday morning in the opening game of the Southern Conference Tournament in Charleston, S.C.

Tyler Jackson, a left-handed freshman, will start for the Mountaineers.

He struggled a bit against the Cougars 11 days ago – allowing three hits, four walks and four runs in 3 2/3 innings. But he said it was a learning experience.

“I know they are a fastball aggressive team,” Jackson said. “I know I’m going to have to mix up a lot more offspeed with them and not leave any fastballs down the middle and up. They’ll rip it if I do.”

Pollard said that the key to a successful run in the double-elimination tournament will indeed be pitching.

“You’ve got to get quality starts,” Pollard said. “If you have to get into your bullpen early in the tournament, then you’re stretched pretty thin and it becomes an uphill battle. But if you get two or three good starts, that gives you a chance.

“We’ve had some inconsistency out of that third and fourth spot, so what we need are for some guys to step up and pitch big, above where they’ve been at times this year. We do have arguably the best bullpen in the league, so that will be an asset.”

When the 30-year-old Capel was named Appalachian State’s basketball coach on April 21, he was the youngest head coach in Division I basketball.

His reign as youngest lasted less than three weeks.

Andy Toole, age 29, was named head coach at Robert Morris yesterday.

Yue Xu (pronounced to sound like Joy Sue) was the medalist in the SoCon Championship with a three-round total of 217 at Moss Creek Country Club in Hilton Head, S.C. She led from the start.

Xu, a 20-year-old freshman from Beijing, China, is the first golfer from ASU to win the tournament. In fact, no ASU women’s golfer had ever finished higher than sixth place.

“I didn’t go there thinking about being the winner but the first day I shot a 69 and had a four-shot lead,” Xu said. “So then I thought I had a big chance to win.

“I kept calm the second and third day and, as my coach said, played my own game.”

Xu is one of China’s top young amateur golfers.

Heather Brown, ASU’s women’s golf coach, said that last week’s victory wasn’t a surprise to anyone who has seen her play. For those that hadn’t, Brown said, “She certainly got everyone’s attention.”

Xu’s small frame doesn’t lend itself to a long-distance power game, but Brown said that her short game is impressive. Xu said that putting was the key last week.

“And my distance has gotten better since I’ve been here, our school has a very good athletic facility and we go to the gym at least twice a week, and we have an indoor practice facility,” Xu said. “That helped.”

“She’s been on the tournament stage before, she doesn’t get rattled,” Brown said. “She plays within herself.”

Bill Dicus, ASU’s men’s golf coach, found out about Xu a few years ago through a contact from North Carolina who had started a golf school in Asia. Xu, interested in a college education, said that she had visited the United States three times before arriving at ASU, and had trained in Florida for two months in 2005.

“It was hard the first few weeks (being so far from home) but I got used to it,” Xu said. “The people here have been really nice to me. They’re friendly and that makes me feel better.”

Xu, who wasn’t eligible to play until the start of the Spring semester, didn’t play in enough matches this season to be able to qualify for one of few at-large individual berths in NCAA regional competition which begins May 6.

“But I’ll try next year,” she said.