Orlando Sentinel-CFB Countdown

[moonshine]

#52 App State

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/c ... -post.html

[AtlAppMan]

We are beginning to get a little respect.

[Saint3333]

That is a lot of respect IMO. That would put us 15th of the G5 programs.

G5 programs not yet ranked:

AAC
Cincinatti
Memphis
Navy

C-USA
LA Tech
Marshall
UTEP
Western Kentucky

MAC
Bowling Green
Northern Illinois
Toledo

MOUNTAIN WEST
Boise State
San Diego State

SUN BELT
Georgia Southern
UL-Lafayette

http://csnbbs.com/thread-736247-post-12 ... id12178028

[moonshine]

While the defense allowed 27 ppg during the 2014 season, Woody's D only allowed 19 ppg over the last six games once he turned them loose. If he can keep the average under 19 ppg for the year, he needs a raise (or most likely getting a new job) but I'd personally like to see the D give up less than 22 ppg.

The OS breakdown makes no mention of Nunn or Gossett who make up the right side of the OL. Those two are earth movers and will give Cox and Upshaw plenty of space to run. I'd say the most glaring weakness/question mark outside of special teams will be LT and whether Harris can stay healthy.

[AtlAppMan]

We performed strong the last six games of last year. We all want to believe that progress can be maintained at start of this season and then built on throughout the year. IF we do continue that progress AND significantly improve our special teams play (this is imperative and achievable) to a level on par with offense and defense (which are already ranked around top 30ish FBS) then we could legitimately move up to somewhere in top 25-35 in overall FBS. This is a very realistic goal.

[MDaniels84]

Saw the Phil Steele football mag over the weekend and he had App ranked #45 in the country. Someone on Clemson radio station mentioned down here in the upstate of SC yesterday and their fans had a fit. Hoping to kick some Tiger tail !

[moehler]

on paper, Clemson is a 2 or 3 td favorite, and honestly, with the gap in talent, the game should be over by the beginning of the 4th. But, we have 2 big things working in our favor, first, they have to replace 7 starters, and 2 reserves, with guys who didn't see a lot of playing time last year, they might have the superior talent, but, they are so inexperienced they are going to make alot of mistakes, and second, they play Wofford the week before, and god bless those ankle bitters, teams usually come out of a game with them pretty banged up. I would be disappointed if we didn't score alteast 3 tds, and make it a closer game than the Clemson fans would like see.

[moonshine]

Moehler you make some good points! I'd like to add a couple more to your list. Clemson lost their OC Chad Morris to SMU this off season so it will be interesting to see how quickly they gel under their new OC. The Tigers also play at Louisville just 5 days after our game so they may overlook App due to a pivotal conference road game on a short week.

[moehler]

I completely forgot about the new OC, and your absolutely right, Dabo is going to have a hard time getting his kids to focus on us with having to travel to Louisville the next week, starting to feel better and better about this game, maybe we can scare the hell out of them.

[AtlAppMan]

I would think Clemson fans would much rather have a team "ranked #45" on their schedule than around #125 like last year. They want quality opponents for their CFP ranking so we are bringing it.

Remember, this means a helluva lot to our team as it is the golden ticket to a New Years Day bowl. Call me crazy but that is how our team must treat this game. We have to prepare and get up for this game in a huge way. We gotta bring the house on this one. If we don't bring our A+++ game then I will be very disappointed. I believe we will.

[MDaniels84]

Yeah, Clemson has to replace Chad Morris. However, their new OC was in place when they put a whipping on Oklahoma in last years bowl game.
I agree with y'all that we must bring our A+++ game to Death Valley in September but I really believe that we are a much different team than the 2013 version or the one that lost to Liberty last year. Our strength and conditioning program will pay off big time come the 4th quarter in early September. I also believe that we will be very balanced on offense with the maturation of our oline and that will help with time of possession on a hot Saturday afternoon. Finally, like others have commented, our defense is just starting to grow into itself as this is just the 2nd full season of having some 3-4 scheme players that are looking to put a snot bubble on someone ! Looking forward to heading over to Clemson for that one for sure.

[AppinVA]

I completely forgot about the new OC, and your absolutely right, Dabo is going to have a hard time getting his kids to focus on us with having to travel to Louisville the next week, starting to feel better and better about this game, maybe we can scare the hell out of them.

How about we beat the hell out of them, instead.

[EastHallApp]

Another potential question mark for Clemson is that their star QB Deshaun Watson will be something like 8 months removed from ACL surgery. Can't be certain that he will be 100% by that point.

[JTApps1]

Their OL also lost 3 starters from last year which should make him a little less comfortable in the pocket. None of this means we will win, but I don't think they will be full speed by week 2 with so many new faces. Plus like others said nobody in the Upstate thinks we're very good.

[TheMoody1]

Plus like others said nobody in the Upstate thinks we're very good.

You are wrong, because I think we are very good.

They were talking about the game on sports radio the other day and a few of them were actually giving us some respect and were worried about them overlooking the Apps. As happy as I was in Ann Arbor in '07, a win over CU would top that about a thousand times for me.

[MDaniels84]

Plus like others said nobody in the Upstate thinks we're very good.

You are wrong, because I think we are very good.

They were talking about the game on sports radio the other day and a few of them were actually giving us some respect and were worried about them overlooking the Apps. As happy as I was in Ann Arbor in '07, a win over CU would top that about a thousand times for me.

Those are my sentiments exactly. Living in Greenville and putting up with all of the Clemson nation just on my cul de sac , I would savor a win over them much more than our Michigan moment.

[TheMoody1]

Those are my sentiments exactly. Living in Greenville and putting up with all of the Clemson nation just on my cul de sac , I would savor a win over them much more than our Michigan moment.

To make it even worse for me, my son is getting ready to start his sophomore year down there, so I will be writing CU another big check soon.

[appchicago]

As an SC native with a USC graduate degree, I agree that a win in Death Valley would be a highlight of my life. I think it's possible, though unlikely, but even a loss could be very enlightening for our players and fans IF we can demonstrate that these P5 games aren't the warm-ups they most often were in the past (aside from the obvious exception). I want to see us adjusting. Learning. Answering. If they get the jump on us an start scoring early, I'd love to see us come from behind to make it close, at least. All of that will demonstrate that we're not a novelty act, but a legit FBS contender.

[JTApps1]

Plus like others said nobody in the Upstate thinks we're very good.

You are wrong, because I think we are very good.

They were talking about the game on sports radio the other day and a few of them were actually giving us some respect and were worried about them overlooking the Apps. As happy as I was in Ann Arbor in '07, a win over CU would top that about a thousand times for me.

My CU friends jsut smile when I tell them not to overlook us this year. None of them seem too worried about the turnover on D or OL. They then nk Watson and their WR are good enough to out score everyone. That's a dangerous way to play though.