I think there is money to be made on APP ST vs ULL........
I played APP ST -9.5 -115 not big but enough.....
What say you???????????????
I played APP ST -9.5 -115 not big but enough.....
What say you???????????????
App ST.
- Thread starter Sgt. Sorry
- Start date
Injured backs from App State, UL Lafayette could reemerge on ESPN2 stage
Appalachian State will make another appearance on one of the primary ESPN channels Wednesday, in this case for a midweek Sun Belt Conference game at UL Lafayette.
ESPN cameras were in Boone when the Mountaineers (3-2, 1-0) lost to Miami on Sept. 17. That's also the last time App State fans saw senior running back Marcus Cox play, but there's a legitimate chance he makes his highly anticipated return against the Ragin' Cajuns (2-3, 1-1) for the 8 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2.
Appalachian aspires to run the ball effectively, no matter the back. And the success of sophomore Jalin Moore, who rushed for 257 and 149 yards in his first two career starts with Cox sidelined, prompted UL Lafayette coach Mark Hudspeth to say personnel uncertainty would have no effect on his team's game-planning.
"Your preparation changes from you better give your best on every play to you better give your best on every play," he said matter-of-factly. "No matter whoever's in the game for those guys, they're both guys that can take it to the house. For us, it doesn't matter who's in the backfield. We better be giving our absolute best because they both are terrific backs in the conference."
Cox, who needs only 44 yards to reach 4,367 for his career and pass John Settle for second place in Appalachian history, suffered an injury to the quadriceps muscle on his left leg during a 79-yard touchdown run that was wiped out by a downfield holding call. He sat out the final three quarters of the Miami game, stood with the assistance of crutches a week later and didn't have crutches when he watched the Mountaineers open Sun Belt play with a 17-3 victory against Georgia State on Oct. 1.
With a week and a half between league games, he has had more time to heal, and coach Scott Satterfield said Monday that Cox is capable of running at close to full speed. He rushed for three touchdowns and Moore had 104 yards with one score in a 28-7 home win against the Ragin' Cajuns last season, but they rank 27th nationally this year by allowing only 121.2 rushing yards per game. Conversely, while playing an early schedule with three teams that rank among the top 35 in passing offense, UL Lafayette has given up an average of 298.0 yards through the air.
"Defensively, they've been outstanding against the run," said Satterfield, who continues to work through injuries to many of his team's top receiving options. "We're obviously trying to run the football, so that's going to be a tough test for us."
The Ragin' Cajuns are also returning to action after a week-and-a-half break. Their two-overtime loss at New Mexico State on Oct. 1 followed a four-overtime loss at Tulane.
UL Lafayette is back at 36,900-seat Cajun Field, where a "Whiteout" promotion will contribute to App State wearing gold uniforms for the first time this season, and there's more injury-related clarity for Hudspeth.
Senior quarterback Jalen Nixon replaced benched starter Anthony Jennings late in the first half of the New Mexico State game, after Jennings had an interception returned for a touchdown, but Nixon suffered a broken ankle in overtime. Jennings, an LSU graduate transfer who made 12 starts for the Tigers in 2014, keeps his job after totaling eight touchdown passes and six picks in the first five games.
The injury news is better for UL Lafayette elsewhere in the backfield, as 209-pound senior Elijah McGuire is expected to be at or close to 100 percent after a foot problem limited him to six carries for 20 yards at New Mexico State. McGuire, who was named the Sun Belt's player of the year in 2014 after rushing for 1,264 yards, already has a 223-yard game in league play this season.
"We know how talented he is," Satterfield said. "They have great size and kids that can make plays. We know we're going to get their best shot."
McGuire ranks fourth, one spot behind Cox, among active FBS players in career all-purpose yards. Despite their injuries, it's possible that both play in the second game of the Sun Belt's model for midweek ESPN exposure.
Georgia Southern took a 2-0 league record to winless reigning champion Arkansas State last week and lost 27-26. UL Lafayette had four straight seasons with nine on-field victories before dipping to 4-8 last year, so there are potential pitfalls as Appalachian attempts to tie Troy (4-1, 2-0) atop the Sun Belt standings before taking another Saturday off.
"For a lot of reasons, it's pretty special for us to be able to play,? Satterfield said, ?so we don't mind this midweek game because you've had time to prepare.?
Appalachian State will make another appearance on one of the primary ESPN channels Wednesday, in this case for a midweek Sun Belt Conference game at UL Lafayette.
ESPN cameras were in Boone when the Mountaineers (3-2, 1-0) lost to Miami on Sept. 17. That's also the last time App State fans saw senior running back Marcus Cox play, but there's a legitimate chance he makes his highly anticipated return against the Ragin' Cajuns (2-3, 1-1) for the 8 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2.
Appalachian aspires to run the ball effectively, no matter the back. And the success of sophomore Jalin Moore, who rushed for 257 and 149 yards in his first two career starts with Cox sidelined, prompted UL Lafayette coach Mark Hudspeth to say personnel uncertainty would have no effect on his team's game-planning.
"Your preparation changes from you better give your best on every play to you better give your best on every play," he said matter-of-factly. "No matter whoever's in the game for those guys, they're both guys that can take it to the house. For us, it doesn't matter who's in the backfield. We better be giving our absolute best because they both are terrific backs in the conference."
Cox, who needs only 44 yards to reach 4,367 for his career and pass John Settle for second place in Appalachian history, suffered an injury to the quadriceps muscle on his left leg during a 79-yard touchdown run that was wiped out by a downfield holding call. He sat out the final three quarters of the Miami game, stood with the assistance of crutches a week later and didn't have crutches when he watched the Mountaineers open Sun Belt play with a 17-3 victory against Georgia State on Oct. 1.
With a week and a half between league games, he has had more time to heal, and coach Scott Satterfield said Monday that Cox is capable of running at close to full speed. He rushed for three touchdowns and Moore had 104 yards with one score in a 28-7 home win against the Ragin' Cajuns last season, but they rank 27th nationally this year by allowing only 121.2 rushing yards per game. Conversely, while playing an early schedule with three teams that rank among the top 35 in passing offense, UL Lafayette has given up an average of 298.0 yards through the air.
"Defensively, they've been outstanding against the run," said Satterfield, who continues to work through injuries to many of his team's top receiving options. "We're obviously trying to run the football, so that's going to be a tough test for us."
The Ragin' Cajuns are also returning to action after a week-and-a-half break. Their two-overtime loss at New Mexico State on Oct. 1 followed a four-overtime loss at Tulane.
UL Lafayette is back at 36,900-seat Cajun Field, where a "Whiteout" promotion will contribute to App State wearing gold uniforms for the first time this season, and there's more injury-related clarity for Hudspeth.
Senior quarterback Jalen Nixon replaced benched starter Anthony Jennings late in the first half of the New Mexico State game, after Jennings had an interception returned for a touchdown, but Nixon suffered a broken ankle in overtime. Jennings, an LSU graduate transfer who made 12 starts for the Tigers in 2014, keeps his job after totaling eight touchdown passes and six picks in the first five games.
The injury news is better for UL Lafayette elsewhere in the backfield, as 209-pound senior Elijah McGuire is expected to be at or close to 100 percent after a foot problem limited him to six carries for 20 yards at New Mexico State. McGuire, who was named the Sun Belt's player of the year in 2014 after rushing for 1,264 yards, already has a 223-yard game in league play this season.
"We know how talented he is," Satterfield said. "They have great size and kids that can make plays. We know we're going to get their best shot."
McGuire ranks fourth, one spot behind Cox, among active FBS players in career all-purpose yards. Despite their injuries, it's possible that both play in the second game of the Sun Belt's model for midweek ESPN exposure.
Georgia Southern took a 2-0 league record to winless reigning champion Arkansas State last week and lost 27-26. UL Lafayette had four straight seasons with nine on-field victories before dipping to 4-8 last year, so there are potential pitfalls as Appalachian attempts to tie Troy (4-1, 2-0) atop the Sun Belt standings before taking another Saturday off.
"For a lot of reasons, it's pretty special for us to be able to play,? Satterfield said, ?so we don't mind this midweek game because you've had time to prepare.?
The biggest issue facing the Cajuns coming into this game is the overall health and experience of their defense. The defensive line has been decimated with injuries; too many to list here. The linebackers are really solid and experienced while the secondary is their major weakness. The Cajuns have had to backfill with junior college transfers and they have been abused to the tune of 298 passing yards allowed a game. Only five schools surrender more yards in the air. Remember the terrible Akron secondary? The Cajuns are worse. The 11 touchdown passes they have given up occured in four games, and they have also allowed 260+ passing yards in four of five games. Just to be clear, the Cajuns haven?t given up one or two big days to skew the statistics, they have been equally horrendous for the better part of the young season.
This Cajun team isn?t far off from having a really nice season. Forget their 2-3 record. They lost two overtime games on the road their last times out and their first loss, Boise State, is now 5-0 and ranked 15th in the AP Poll. However, the Cajun losses are pretty easily explained. The Cajun defense has allowed a 92% score rate while defending the red zone, with half of those going for touchdowns. They are giving up nearly five red zone possessions per game at the same time.
This Cajun team isn?t far off from having a really nice season. Forget their 2-3 record. They lost two overtime games on the road their last times out and their first loss, Boise State, is now 5-0 and ranked 15th in the AP Poll. However, the Cajun losses are pretty easily explained. The Cajun defense has allowed a 92% score rate while defending the red zone, with half of those going for touchdowns. They are giving up nearly five red zone possessions per game at the same time.
Well IE thanks for letting me know that I know less about this game than ML Dogs........ LOL
Really it looks like from your write up the over for App St is the bet....
Thanks for your time I need all the help I can get......
Really it looks like from your write up the over for App St is the bet....
Thanks for your time I need all the help I can get......
i am not in love with giving 10 pts on the road, good luck if you play that.
48? seems like an attainable number for the over, but still thinking that over as well.
48? seems like an attainable number for the over, but still thinking that over as well.
I like the home team getting the 10. App St is no world beater and Cajuns appear to be competitive and coming back him for primetime home game. I would suspect a good effort from them but anything could happen of course, who knows?
Cajuns do play good at home. 2 overtime loss on road and now home. They are getting better as a team. Think 10 points is a lot and wouldn't put much on this game. Would do a teaser dog and over.
Like the man who jumped out of the 10 story building.....
Every floor he could be heard saying "so for so good".............
Every floor he could be heard saying "so for so good".............