My honest outsiders view of this App State team

[ericsaid]

I expect UGA to pound pound pound and let eason slip in a pass. Season opener: I dont expect any let down from UGA. They will want to get this game over early and play subs so they can focus on UND.

Teams may want to do that however are not always successful. Personally, I feel that Eason may be one of those guys who is projected to develop and mature into a great QB that aren't able to do so. An example would be Christian Hackenburg; I haven't seen any progression in his play since the first time he stepped on the field at Penn State; Eason may be in that boat. The question will be, do you sell out to stop the run and allow the back end to man up?

[bigdaddyg]

Based on ND's recent level of play if UGA looks past App and considers ND the true opener there is some serious lack of focus down there that could bite some Dawgs in the butt.

[Rick83]

We suck. You Dawgs need to focus on your real season opener at Notre Dame.

Agreed...and we've got Savannah State invading Boone the following weekend that I'm sure we're spending way more prep time on than UGA so you guys should just focus on the Irish...

[Chaz]

Call me crazy, but I don't take the opinion of a fan of a consistently overrated team as too credible. UGA has multiple letdown games each year and needs to take every team on their schedule very seriously. That includes App State.

[ericsaid]

Call me crazy, but I don't take the opinion of a fan of a consistently overrated team as too credible. UGA has multiple letdown games each year and needs to take every team on their schedule very seriously. That includes App State.

The problem with SEC schools is their relatively easy OOC schedules. There is no point of comparison to make about the strength of the conference as a whole until after bowl season because all of the projects top teams focus on home games with small programs.

UGA only beating ULL by 14 last season (App won 28-0) and almost falling to Nichols State will act as a motivator for UGA however, especially considering App and UGA both lost on walk off TD's to Tennessee.

[Yosefus]

Last year we lost to Tennessee by an extra point or field goal. Take your pick, had either one been made by the freshman kicker 'if my memory serves me' no overtime. Georgia and Tennessee if I remember last years game went down to a Hail Mary on the last play of the game. Both teams bring back similar resume this year. If we come in loose and confident like our opening last year and play like we have nothing to lose it will be a close game. Georgia has a lot more at stake than App and could come in tight and conservative. Of course UGA does have the Miami footage to study. In my opinion this can be just as exciting of a game as last year vs Tenn. I am not making a prediction though. I do feel that this has the potential to be a nail biter.

[AtlAppMan]

JustVisiting had a fair assessment but as one earlier poster stated, I think your limited vantage point of only UT and Miami probably don't give you enough info to get the full picture.
Here are some points to consider:
1. Moore got a lot of PT in 2016 as a result of Cox going down in Miami game and as a result he progressed significantly as the primary back. We will get Upshaw back this year, which you didn't see him play in 2016, and if he steps back into his game and hopefully steps it up another notch, you will see another quality 1-2 punch at running back. In fairness, UGA has the best 1-2 runners in college this year but we will probably have the best opposing 1-2 you will see all season.
2. Last year our receiving corps was down a bit. We are a run first team. However, that was one of the key reasons our offense relied even more on the run last year and Lamb didn't go to the air as much in 2016. We hope and expect he can return to his 2015 level or more this year. If so, you will see a much more dynamic passing game than you saw on film last year.
3. Miami exploited a known weakness with our defense on the hurry up pace and offensive play selection. That was a known fact that was proven on tape from several games the previous year. Richt did a excellent job preparing his team for that game plan. We improved some after Miami but it still remains an achilles heal. I fully expect UGA to go after us like Miami. Have we learned our lesson and prepared for this onslaught? I don't know.
4. I expect UGA to pound it on the ground and send 4-5 verticals at times. Can our D handle the combination? I don't know. We have to defend the run and get pressure on QB.
5. If the UGA OLing is still green then our D line will be quick and mix things up and likely get to Eason. If we can get to Eason early and knock him down a few times will it get in his head and force mistakes?

[GreatAppSt]

I'm a Dawg fan who went back and watched your game's against Tennessee and Miami from a year ago. I admittedly didn't watch any games other than those two, but I wanted to post my impressions here and see how much you guys may agree or disagree with what I saw.

Here's my post from a Georgia forum:

.

What forum? I'd like to see any responses please?

[Yosef10]

Yes, Marcus was one of the best running backs we've ever had and he's departed. However, there is very little, if any at all, drop off between him and Jalin Moore. Plus our stable of backs this year as a whole is deeper and more talented. If Jalin had the opportunity to start since day 1 of his freshman year he would be toppling the same records Marcus did, and Jalin has been doing it against tougher competition. That's no slight on Marcus at all.


If you thought Deltron Hopkins did well in that role then you will be very impressed with #4 back there this year, Hopkins didn't get much playing time and left because of it.

It's a toss up what our offense will bring to the table that day but there is one thing I am certain of: whether it's Fromm or Eason taking snaps, our defense will give them fits.

We'll definitely have to be able to throw the ball effectively if we have a shot at winning but I expect the OLine to be able to do some good things. Regardless, I think Vegas has this one about right, App +14. But UGA will always be UGA, disappointment abounds.

[NattyBumppo'sRevenge]

I'm looking to Wake, not really worried about this game.

[JustVisiting]

Thanks for the feedback.

I do love the App State defense, especially up front. I'm not sure how your linebackers will look after the departures, but I expect that front seven to be tough again.

What baffled me about Tennessee was their game plan. Why did they insist on running zone plays into the teeth of your defense all game long? The one time that they tried to go deep they hit the long one down the left sideline to tie the game. Duck and those guys are solid players, but they're severely undersized when you consider the Vols have monsters outside like Malone and Williams.

I'm not convinced Georgia is going to be able to run the ball any better this year. Their depth has drastically improved, but that's depth and not the starters. UGA got zero push at all last season in the run game. I've seen no clear evidence that's going to improve in 2017.

I think UGA is going to have to make plays down the football field and Eason was very inconsistent with his accuracy a year ago. He has an arm that maybe two or three guys in college football can match, but that doesn't matter one bit if you can't give him time to throw and he can put it on target. Georgia's WR's are also a bunch of unproven guys for the most part, with a few exceptions.

I believe if UGA scores 20 points that they win the ballgame, because of what I saw from your offense, but that might not be easy.

[Yosef10]

I mean you're not wrong to say the things you're saying about the offense. But, and yes I know there's huge discrepancies in opponents, App ranked significantly higher than UGA in 2016 Total Offense and Offensive Efficiency adjusted for opponent. Just because we still run the ball primarily (10th best rushing offense in 2016) doesn't mean we're a bad offense, just different than most in today's landscape.

[AppSt94]

Thanks for the feedback.

I do love the App State defense, especially up front. I'm not sure how your linebackers will look after the departures, but I expect that front seven to be tough again.

What baffled me about Tennessee was their game plan. Why did they insist on running zone plays into the teeth of your defense all game long? The one time that they tried to go deep they hit the long one down the left sideline to tie the game. Duck and those guys are solid players, but they're severely undersized when you consider the Vols have monsters outside like Malone and Williams.

I'm not convinced Georgia is going to be able to run the ball any better this year. Their depth has drastically improved, but that's depth and not the starters. UGA got zero push at all last season in the run game. I've seen no clear evidence that's going to improve in 2017.

I think UGA is going to have to make plays down the football field and Eason was very inconsistent with his accuracy a year ago. He has an arm that maybe two or three guys in college football can match, but that doesn't matter one bit if you can't give him time to throw and he can put it on target. Georgia's WR's are also a bunch of unproven guys for the most part, with a few exceptions.

I believe if UGA scores 20 points that they win the ballgame, because of what I saw from your offense, but that might not be easy.

Once again, fair assessment. I don't disagree with your point total needed to win. With your defense, 20 points would probably win this game 80-90% of the time.

[JustVisiting]

I'm a Dawg fan who went back and watched your game's against Tennessee and Miami from a year ago. I admittedly didn't watch any games other than those two, but I wanted to post my impressions here and see how much you guys may agree or disagree with what I saw.

Here's my post from a Georgia forum:

.

What forum? I'd like to see any responses please?

It's a premium forum that you won't be able to read the responses to unfortunately.

For the most part Notre Dame is getting all of the discussion on the Georgia sites. That game is the most expensive ticket in college football right now on Stubhub.

I think the general mood on the Georgia side is that they should beat App State, but it might be close for a while. People see that ASU name and they're immediately going to think of Michigan, so there's always that doubt back there. Fortunately as a Dawg fan, this Mountaineer offense doesn't have anyone close to the level of Armanti Edwards.

[JustVisiting]

I mean you're not wrong to say the things you're saying about the offense. But, and yes I know there's huge discrepancies in opponents, App ranked significantly higher than UGA in 2016 Total Offense and Offensive Efficiency adjusted for opponent. Just because we still run the ball primarily (10th best rushing offense in 2016) doesn't mean we're a bad offense, just different than most in today's landscape.

I actually love run-heavy offenses and at 66% run plays, you guys are are one of the biggest believers in that. I just felt a little better after watching those two games because I didn't see a QB who could hurt Georgia with his legs and I didn't see a QB capable of taking the top off of the defense to force Georgia to be more conservative up front.

Georgia's offense was atrocious last season. There are no two ways around saying that. The offensive line was putrid and Eason's 55% completion rating wasn't enough for a team who wants to run the football and be in 3rd-and-short situations.

It could be an ugly football game.

[appmaj]

I'm a Dawg fan who went back and watched your game's against Tennessee and Miami from a year ago. I admittedly didn't watch any games other than those two, but I wanted to post my impressions here and see how much you guys may agree or disagree with what I saw.

Here's my post from a Georgia forum:

.

What forum? I'd like to see any responses please?

It's a premium forum that you won't be able to read the responses to unfortunately.

For the most part Notre Dame is getting all of the discussion on the Georgia sites. That game is the most expensive ticket in college football right now on Stubhub.

I think the general mood on the Georgia side is that they should beat App State, but it might be close for a while. People see that ASU name and they're immediately going to think of Michigan, so there's always that doubt back there. Fortunately as a Dawg fan, this Mountaineer offense doesn't have anyone close to the level of Armanti Edwards.

Yes, look forward to Notre Dame, don't worry about us.

[WataugaMan]

I'm a Dawg fan who went back and watched your game's against Tennessee and Miami from a year ago. I admittedly didn't watch any games other than those two, but I wanted to post my impressions here and see how much you guys may agree or disagree with what I saw.

Here's my post from a Georgia forum:

.

What forum? I'd like to see any responses please?

It's a premium forum that you won't be able to read the responses to unfortunately.

For the most part Notre Dame is getting all of the discussion on the Georgia sites. That game is the most expensive ticket in college football right now on Stubhub.

I think the general mood on the Georgia side is that they should beat App State, but it might be close for a while. People see that ASU name and they're immediately going to think of Michigan, so there's always that doubt back there. Fortunately as a Dawg fan, this Mountaineer offense doesn't have anyone close to the level of Armanti Edwards.

Hopefully your team has the same line of thinking.

[AppStateNews]

A QB doesn't have 505 yards rushing (even after taking out the loss of yards on sacks) and 9 rushing TDs by being an average runner... Sure, he's not a RB that happens to be able to throw like Hurts (well, can kind of throw) or an electric athlete like Armanti, but to say he's an average runner is far sighted...

[Yosef10]

I mean you're not wrong to say the things you're saying about the offense. But, and yes I know there's huge discrepancies in opponents, App ranked significantly higher than UGA in 2016 Total Offense and Offensive Efficiency adjusted for opponent. Just because we still run the ball primarily (10th best rushing offense in 2016) doesn't mean we're a bad offense, just different than most in today's landscape.

I actually love run-heavy offenses and at 66% run plays, you guys are are one of the biggest believers in that. I just felt a little better after watching those two games because I didn't see a QB who could hurt Georgia with his legs and I didn't see a QB capable of taking the top off of the defense to force Georgia to be more conservative up front.

Georgia's offense was atrocious last season. There are no two ways around saying that. The offensive line was putrid and Eason's 55% completion rating wasn't enough for a team who wants to run the football and be in 3rd-and-short situations.

It could be an ugly football game.

Like I said, you're not wrong. Not being able to stretch the field, particularly against P5s, does stymie our offense at times. Luckily our run game is/has been good enough to compensate, but as the UM game showed last year, if you can't throw & catch (so many drops against UM) against the big boys it can and most likely will be a long day.

Word is, even with the departure of the LBs that you mentioned, that the defense is looking faster and possibly better than last year. The thing about us losing old guys the past few years, most of them were FCS recruits and we have arguably more talented guys waiting to replace them. And they will need to be in order to give us a chance. I don't think you'll find many on this board who *expect* us to win, but I at least am expecting to keep close with the Vegas line. And if not, I'm happy enough with little ole App State playing in primetime on ESPN to start the season and getting a little more exposure.

[EastHallApp]

A QB doesn't have 505 yards rushing (even after taking out the loss of yards on sacks) and 9 rushing TDs by being an average runner... Sure, he's not a RB that happens to be able to throw like Hurts (well, can kind of throw) or an electric athlete like Armanti, but to say he's an average runner is far sighted...

To be fair, I don't believe he said Lamb is an average runner. He said he didn't think he could hurt Georgia with his legs.

Given that in three-plus games vs. P5 opponents Lamb has carried a total of 21 times for 36 yards, with a long of 8, it's hard to argue with him until we see otherwise.