Thoughts on the season/Team?

[Saint3333]

ETSU lost to VMI in November and followed that up with a 58-7 loss versus WCU.

I mean this isn't GWebb or some other FCS powerhouse.

This one is going to get ugly early.

APP will win by many as Clark want to.

We know he won’t run the score up. My prediction is 2 scores at halftime

And the natives will get restless.

Doubtful. Team will pass the eye test versus an inferior opponent and all but maybe a handful will enjoy what they see. But if you prefer the narrative that a couple of fringe fanatics represent the base that’s cool too.

[WASU 93]

ETSU lost to VMI in November and followed that up with a 58-7 loss versus WCU.

I mean this isn't GWebb or some other FCS powerhouse.

This one is going to get ugly early.

APP will win by many as Clark want to.

We know he won’t run the score up. My prediction is 2 scores at halftime

And the natives will get restless.

Doubtful. Team will pass the eye test versus an inferior opponent and all but maybe a handful will enjoy what they see. But if you prefer the narrative that a couple of fringe fanatics represent the base that’s cool too.

And you have to expect a vanilla playbook/base defense. Save the wrinkles for Week 2.

[311neers]

APP will win by many as Clark want to.

We know he won’t run the score up. My prediction is 2 scores at halftime

And the natives will get restless.

Doubtful. Team will pass the eye test versus an inferior opponent and all but maybe a handful will enjoy what they see. But if you prefer the narrative that a couple of fringe fanatics represent the base that’s cool too.

And you have to expect a vanilla playbook/base defense. Save the wrinkles for Week 2.

Doubt we show our hands in Week 2 either, especially if it gets out of reach early.

[AppSt94]

We know he won’t run the score up. My prediction is 2 scores at halftime

And the natives will get restless.

Doubtful. Team will pass the eye test versus an inferior opponent and all but maybe a handful will enjoy what they see. But if you prefer the narrative that a couple of fringe fanatics represent the base that’s cool too.

And you have to expect a vanilla playbook/base defense. Save the wrinkles for Week 2.

Doubt we show our hands in Week 2 either, especially if it gets out of reach early.

Agree. I don’t know that there is anything scheme related that we haven’t put on film already. There may be a few new wrinkles but I don’t expect much that folks aren’t already familiar with.

[Saint3333]

Play to win vs Clemson, anything less is a terrible idea.

[AppSt94]

I don’t think that the goal is ever play to lose.

[Saint3333]

If you aren't playing to win you are de facto playing to lose. Clemson will see something we don't have on film from last year. Worst case the rest of the schedule has to plan for something we likely never run again this season.

[AppStFan1]

If you aren't playing to win you are de facto playing to lose. Clemson will see something we don't have on film from last year. Worst case the rest of the schedule has to plan for something we likely never run again this season.

Agreed. The reality is for our goals of winning the SBC and going to a bowl we don't have to beat Clemson but if we want to make the playoff and enjoy the free publicity we got from beating Michigan, A&M, UNC, SC, etc then beating Clemson is big for us. I truly hope we bring some wrinkles out for this game that we did not do last year. We can make this very interesting if Joey plays well, additions on both sides of the line are as good as our staff hopes, and we keep Klubnik flustered or on his back.

[bcoach]

If you aren't playing to win you are de facto playing to lose. Clemson will see something we don't have on film from last year. Worst case the rest of the schedule has to plan for something we likely never run again this season.

Agreed. The reality is for our goals of winning the SBC and going to a bowl we don't have to beat Clemson but if we want to make the playoff and enjoy the free publicity we got from beating Michigan, A&M, UNC, SC, etc then beating Clemson is big for us. I truly hope we bring some wrinkles out for this game that we did not do last year. We can make this very interesting if Joey plays well, additions on both sides of the line are as good as our staff hopes, and we keep Klubnik flustered or on his back.

OR if we have well designed plays and just execute perfectly we have no worries. Let em look, just execute.

[Stonewall]

Protect the Quarterback and put up 40 plus a game.

[AppSt94]

I guess my question would be how does one outside of the inner sanctum of the football team distinguish between the two? Does the final outcome play into one’s assessment of whether we played to win or not lose? Again, I don’t think that the staff and players prepare for a game to not win. However, as a non conference game, you have to plan for the long game. Clemson has a very good defense, especially up front and that plays into our biggest unknown which is the OL. Beating Clemson helps the resume but keeping Joey upright is paramount to the season’s success. I would expect a ball control offense with short quick passes to get the ball out of his hands.quickly.

[spacemonkey]

The must win game for me this upcoming year is East Carolina. We don't need to give them any hope of being superior in our state.

Clemson would be awesome to win, but losing to East Carolina would be awful.

[Saint3333]

Does the final outcome play into one’s assessment of whether we played to win or not lose?

Not for me, situational play calling in key moments of the game matters more. Sometimes losing by 30 could mean that we took risks and they just didn't pay off against a more talented team. Those risks can snowball. That is the gameplan I'd like to see versus Clemson.

Other times play the odds and try and keep it close being less aggressive, this works best with a solid defense first mentality (i.e. App @ A&M or unfortunately Wyoming's game plan vs. us last year).

Clemson is going to score, we'll need some level of aggressive play calling after the first 20 minutes of being vanilla to get us above the 30 point mark, unless their QB just isn't very good (i.e. A&M).

[AppSt94]

The must win game for me this upcoming year is East Carolina. We don't need to give them any hope of being superior in our state.

Clemson would be awesome to win, but losing to East Carolina would be awful.

This plus they also play Liberty and ODU.

[ASUFan4863]

We have never played to lose. Whatever de facto way you want to look at it, I don’t care. We have never played to lose. Clemson would be amazing to win but it’s much less important than our last 2 OOC games.

[AppWyo]

Does the final outcome play into one’s assessment of whether we played to win or not lose?

Not for me, situational play calling in key moments of the game matters more. Sometimes losing by 30 could mean that we took risks and they just didn't pay off against a more talented team. Those risks can snowball. That is the gameplan I'd like to see versus Clemson.

Other times play the odds and try and keep it close being less aggressive, this works best with a solid defense first mentality (i.e. App @ A&M or unfortunately Wyoming's game plan vs. us last year).

Clemson is going to score, we'll need some level of aggressive play calling after the first 20 minutes of being vanilla to get us above the 30 point mark, unless their QB just isn't very good (i.e. A&M).

The Wyoming game was one of the best management of time I have ever seen Appalachian play. I was very proud of the way Coach Clark managed the time. However, sometimes you can call the perfect game and still lose.

[Black Saturday]

And the natives will get restless.

Doubtful. Team will pass the eye test versus an inferior opponent and all but maybe a handful will enjoy what they see. But if you prefer the narrative that a couple of fringe fanatics represent the base that’s cool too.

And you have to expect a vanilla playbook/base defense. Save the wrinkles for Week 2.

Doubt we show our hands in Week 2 either, especially if it gets out of reach early.

Agree. I don’t know that there is anything scheme related that we haven’t put on film already. There may be a few new wrinkles but I don’t expect much that folks aren’t already familiar with.

Hell, Everybody knows whats coming next in our offense...up the gut

[Saint3333]

Does the final outcome play into one’s assessment of whether we played to win or not lose?

Not for me, situational play calling in key moments of the game matters more. Sometimes losing by 30 could mean that we took risks and they just didn't pay off against a more talented team. Those risks can snowball. That is the gameplan I'd like to see versus Clemson.

Other times play the odds and try and keep it close being less aggressive, this works best with a solid defense first mentality (i.e. App @ A&M or unfortunately Wyoming's game plan vs. us last year).

Clemson is going to score, we'll need some level of aggressive play calling after the first 20 minutes of being vanilla to get us above the 30 point mark, unless their QB just isn't very good (i.e. A&M).

The Wyoming game was one of the best management of time I have ever seen Appalachian play. I was very proud of the way Coach Clark managed the time. However, sometimes you can call the perfect game and still lose.

I did not get that feeling watching that game. Kicking three FGs of under 30 yards in the first half played right into Coach Bohl's hands. Had a couple of friends over watching that one and at the half you could feel we weren't being aggressive enough. The only way you lose to someone that doesn't have an offense is let them hang around. That busted run for 75 yards hurt, recall they had maybe 100 yards total at that stage of the game. About the only way to lose that one happened.

Congrats to Bohl though that was a tough nosed team.

[BambooRdApp]

I do not believe it was a mastery of clock mgt, however, it may have been an attempt at clock mgt as the Joey Dimes era was still at its infancy. I do not believe Clark had trust 4 at that point on the season. Joey was slightly over 50% passing for the game...there were several factors that played into the loss....but the biggest was the blocked fg for td that Wyoming had not done in like 50 years

[Bigdaddyg1]

App State needs to crush any FCS team we play, don’t lose to lesser Belt teams, beat peer G5’s at home, don’t shit the bed against those same teams at their place and beat most of the Belt teams as good as us- I’m not delusional to expect us to win every Belt game. Lastly don’t be intimidated at a Clemson and get curb stomped. Expect to win, play to win and give 100%.