Game Day Preview: App State vs. The Citadel - App State Athletics

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By Bret Strelow | App State Athletics

BOONE, N.C. —

The arrival of October signals leaves turning — with hopes that they withstand this weekend's windy rain showers — and a turning back of the clock.
 
App State Football's early season homestand continues Saturday with a 3:30 p.m. nonconference game against The Citadel and its option attack. It's their first meeting since 2013, the Mountaineers' last run through the FCS-level Southern Conference before the climb to the FBS-level Sun Belt Conference.
 
"On defense, this is an assignment football game," App State head coach Shawn Clark said. "It's the dive, the quarterback and the pitch. If you make a mistake, it's a touchdown. On offense, we have to make sure we get back to the basics. We need to be able to run the football and throw the football on the outside. When your number is called, go make a play."
 
The Mountaineers (2-2) and Bulldogs (1-2) faced each other 42 times from 1972-2013, with App State taking 29 of those games, although The Citadel won 52-28 at Kidd Brewer Stadium in 2012 and pulled out a 31-28 overtime victory in Charleston, S.C., in 2013.
 
The Mountaineers enter this showdown, which is expected to be played in rain-soaked conditions at The Rock stemming from Hurricane Ian, looking to bounce back from a home loss to James Madison last weekend.
 
"As the head football coach, you have to be positive and you have to be honest with your players and honest with yourself," Clark said. "It all starts with the head football coach, and we had a meeting as a staff and then you turn the page. All of our coaches are in a great mood, and we're ready to get this nasty taste out of our mouth.
 
"The players, we met with the team captains, and it was all positive. Our guys are ready to move on. All of our goals are still in front of us, and we can still win a championship. That's why you come to App State, so it's full steam ahead."
 
The three-game homestand began with a last-second win against Troy, among the many highlights during a wild September that included a 63-61 home loss to North Carolina and a 17-14 victory at No. 6 Texas A&M.
 
App State is currently credited with having the second-ranked strength of schedule among Group of Five programs nationally behind just Kent State, which has faced Washington, Oklahoma, LIU and Georgia in its first four games.
 
"It has been a challenging schedule, but we're not going to back down from that," Clark said. "It'll make us better at the end of the season for having this tough stretch."
 
Under the direction of seventh-year head coach Brent Thompson, who was in his final year as Mike Houston's offensive coordinator at Lenoir-Rhyne during App State's last FCS season, The Citadel followed a 29-10 loss at Campbell in the 2022 opener by winning 20-17 against then-No. 8 ETSU. No. 20 Mercer pitched a shutout in a 17-0 win against the Bulldogs on Sept. 17, and the Mountaineers are again facing an opponent that had a bye week before traveling to Boone.
 
The Citadel's run-based, clock-consuming option offense is led by a familiar face in Peyton Derrick, who began his college career at App State and memorably completed a fourth-down, goalline pass at Penn State when Zac Thomas had to briefly leave that 2018 opener. Derrick played at Wofford from 2019-2021 and then applied for jobs as a graduate assistant coach, according to The Post and Courier, making sure to note that he did have one season of eligibility remaining.
 
An interest in coaching on Thompson's staff turned into an opportunity to be Thompson's quarterback. The Bulldogs average 172.3 rushing yards per game, including a team-high 55.3 per game from 200-pound back Logan Billings. Derrick has recorded a team-leading 44 carries for 96 yards — 48 yards came in the upset of ETSU —and completed 17 passes for a total of 176 yards.
 
The Citadel finished with noteworthy time of possession advantages against Campbell (36:34-23:26), ETSU (39:16-20:44) and Mercer (32:39-27:21).
 
"This week has to be complementary football," Clark said. "We've told our offense that every possession matters in this ballgame. On average, you get 14 possessions a game on offense, and their last three opponents got nine possessions."
 
Knowing it will have fewer possessions at its disposal, App State's offense will look to rebound from a quiet second half against James Madison as it goes against a Bulldogs defense that is allowing 176.0 rushing yards and 189.0 passing yards per game against FCS competition.
 
There's a family affair element to the matchup, given that App State receiver Christan Horn has an older brother, Brian, who starts at one linebacker spot for the Bulldogs.
 
Starting receiver Christian Wells is expected to miss a second straight game, and the depth of App State's running back room has been put to the test. Five different running backs played on the opening series against JMU, with Daetrich Harrington making his first start since Nov. 7, 2020 — the day he tore the ACL in his right knee for the second time.
 
Camerun Peoples posted only four carries before leaving the game for good in the first half, and Nate Noel had only one carry after halftime in his return from missing the previous two games.
 
"As time goes on, we're getting healthier," Clark said. "We're banged up as a team right now. It's been four physical football games, but it's all a go for Saturday."
 
The forecast seems to change by the day, with hopes that the heaviest rain won't be falling Saturday afternoon, but App State has been preparing to compete in difficult conditions.
 
"That's why we practice outside in the spring when it's cold and rainy and windy," Clark said. "When you're playing in Boone, North Carolina, it might be sunshine in the morning and be rain or sleet or snow in the afternoon. (Tuesday) we practiced with wet footballs, putting them in buckets of water and pouring water as quarterbacks were taking the snaps. We're prepared."
 

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https://appstatesports.com/news/2022/9/30/football-game-day-preview-app-state-vs-the-citadel.aspx

2022-09-30 14:02:06Z
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