The Good, The Bad and The Ugly- Coastal

[t4pizza]

The Mountaineers lose a disappointing homecoming game to Coastal 45-37. Coastal has now beaten App 3 games in a row and 4 out of the last 5. I know many don't consider them a real rival, but perhaps we should as they seem to get up for our games and handle us better than most other teams.

The Good-

You really couldn't ask for a better weather game in mid October in Boone. Between the clear skies, pleasant temps and beautiful fall foliage, it was a perfect day for football in the high country, until it wasn't.

Quick starts- The Offense came out on fire and scored TDs on its first 3 possessions. Really can't ask for more than that on the first drives. We all complained about the deep holes we started in last year, and those are now gone. We start fast, just can't seem to finish.

Jayden Barnes with a 77 yard punt return for a TD putting us up 31-17 early in the third quarter. Jayden also caught a TD pass on the day.

The Bad- I have waited to write this so I could relax a bit and maybe not see the game so negatively (it didn't work).

Offensive Lull- After jumping out and scoring 3 straight TDS on 3 straight drives to open the game, the offense sputtered and didn't account for another TD on the day. Dropped balls, penalties, fumbles, you name it we had it all.

Offensive line- We seem to be paper thin and once a guy or two go down with injuries, it gets bad. Kohl was under pressure most of the game, getting sacked 4 times and having 3 forced fumbles. Coastal also got enough pressure to account for 7 tackles for loss.

Rushing Defense- What seemed like a strength heading into the game was exposed as Coastal ran for 246 yards on 41 attempts for a 6 yard per attempt average and 4 TDs on the day. We couldn't stop them at all even though everyone knew they would run. Usually with a mobile qb, the defense will have someone assigned to shadow that QB. If App did this, I missed it the entire game. The QB was big, quick, and ran for 74 yards and 2 TDs against us. It was a very bad showing for the rush defense.

Sloppy play- after a fairly clean game against a bad Ga State team, we reverted back to what we have been all year. 7 penalties for 70 yards, dropped passes and key turnover at the worst time. In a close game, sloppy play will often cost you a win.

Dismal 4th quarter play- For whatever reason we play very poorly in the 4th quarter. We were outscored 14-3 in the 4th and have been outscored and outgained in the 4 quarter in almost every game this year. This is a persistent problem and needs to be fixed by the coaching staff.

Kick off returns- late in the 4th, trailing, we decide to attempt not 1 but 2 kickoff returns from our end zone and neither got to the 25. In a close game, when the offense has gone cold and can't find the end zone, every yard matters so why not take 25 free ones? I get that the staff must have thought they saw something, we did get a 77 punt return for a TD, but I just didn't get those calls.

The Ugly-

Losing a game at the Rock is a rare feat and we are all fortunate and spoiled because of that. But losing a game that you have a 2 TD lead in the 3rd quarter is another thing altogether, it is wholly unacceptable. This team certainly lacks the killer instinct to put games away and seems to forget how to play late in the game. This is a top down issue and needs to be fixed. It is not all on the coaches, don't get me wrong. The players have to execute as well. We had a chance to go up by 10 in the 4th but a dropped ball negated a sure fire TD and we had to settle for a FG and a 6 point lead that quickly evaporated.

The Refs- I hate blaming the refs and will not put the loss at their feet, but they certainly missed a lot of huge calls. Late in the 4th, after going down for the first time all game, we attempt a reverse on a kick off return. Juan Berchal is forced out and then clearly is the recipient of a late hit out of bounds, no call. On the same drive, third down and Kohl tries to connect with a defended but open Stroman and the defender literally climbs his back, another no call. I am not saying that those calls cost us the game, but we would have maintained possession with deeper field position in a close game. There are other examples but those really stood out.

[BambooRdApp]

Good- fast start. Something that is foreign to App teams in recent past...3 early drives; 3 TDa
Bad - D
Ugly - did not adjust on O after Coastal adjusted on D.... Our D did not adjust most of the day

[AppState89]

Ugly - We just got beat by a team I now hate as much at "Georgia Southern"

[Bootsy]

Good- fast start. Something that is foreign to App teams in recent past...3 early drives; 3 TDa
Bad - D
Ugly - did not adjust on O after Coastal adjusted on D.... Our D did not adjust most of the day

The inability to make effective in-game adjustments is a recurring issue…on both sides of the ball.

[Yosef1986]

This game was a though watch. Offense started off well - defense never had an answer. Offense fizzled when needed and the defense still did not have an answer.

[AEwiththebraids]

The Mountaineers lose a disappointing homecoming game to Coastal 45-37. Coastal has now beaten App 3 games in a row and 4 out of the last 5. I know many don't consider them a real rival, but perhaps we should as they seem to get up for our games and handle us better than most other teams.

The Good-

You really couldn't ask for a better weather game in mid October in Boone. Between the clear skies, pleasant temps and beautiful fall foliage, it was a perfect day for football in the high country, until it wasn't.

Quick starts- The Offense came out on fire and scored TDs on its first 3 possessions. Really can't ask for more than that on the first drives. We all complained about the deep holes we started in last year, and those are now gone. We start fast, just can't seem to finish.

Jayden Barnes with a 77 yard punt return for a TD putting us up 31-17 early in the third quarter. Jayden also caught a TD pass on the day.

The Bad- I have waited to write this so I could relax a bit and maybe not see the game so negatively (it didn't work).

Offensive Lull- After jumping out and scoring 3 straight TDS on 3 straight drives to open the game, the offense sputtered and didn't account for another TD on the day. Dropped balls, penalties, fumbles, you name it we had it all.

Offensive line- We seem to be paper thin and once a guy or two go down with injuries, it gets bad. Kohl was under pressure most of the game, getting sacked 4 times and having 3 forced fumbles. Coastal also got enough pressure to account for 7 tackles for loss.

Rushing Defense- What seemed like a strength heading into the game was exposed as Coastal ran for 246 yards on 41 attempts for a 6 yard per attempt average and 4 TDs on the day. We couldn't stop them at all even though everyone knew they would run. Usually with a mobile qb, the defense will have someone assigned to shadow that QB. If App did this, I missed it the entire game. The QB was big, quick, and ran for 74 yards and 2 TDs against us. It was a very bad showing for the rush defense.

Sloppy play- after a fairly clean game against a bad Ga State team, we reverted back to what we have been all year. 7 penalties for 70 yards, dropped passes and key turnover at the worst time. In a close game, sloppy play will often cost you a win.

Dismal 4th quarter play- For whatever reason we play very poorly in the 4th quarter. We were outscored 14-3 in the 4th and have been outscored and outgained in the 4 quarter in almost every game this year. This is a persistent problem and needs to be fixed by the coaching staff.

Kick off returns- late in the 4th, trailing, we decide to attempt not 1 but 2 kickoff returns from our end zone and neither got to the 25. In a close game, when the offense has gone cold and can't find the end zone, every yard matters so why not take 25 free ones? I get that the staff must have thought they saw something, we did get a 77 punt return for a TD, but I just didn't get those calls.

The Ugly-

Losing a game at the Rock is a rare feat and we are all fortunate and spoiled because of that. But losing a game that you have a 2 TD lead in the 3rd quarter is another thing altogether, it is wholly unacceptable. This team certainly lacks the killer instinct to put games away and seems to forget how to play late in the game. This is a top down issue and needs to be fixed. It is not all on the coaches, don't get me wrong. The players have to execute as well. We had a chance to go up by 10 in the 4th but a dropped ball negated a sure fire TD and we had to settle for a FG and a 6 point lead that quickly evaporated.

The Refs- I hate blaming the refs and will not put the loss at their feet, but they certainly missed a lot of huge calls. Late in the 4th, after going down for the first time all game, we attempt a reverse on a kick off return. Juan Berchal is forced out and then clearly is the recipient of a late hit out of bounds, no call. On the same drive, third down and Kohl tries to connect with a defended but open Stroman and the defender literally climbs his back, another no call. I am not saying that those calls cost us the game, but we would have maintained possession with deeper field position in a close game. There are other examples but those really stood out.

The good quarters 1-3
The bad the 4th quarter

[BUTCH1991]

Good - early offense
Bad- play calling around the goal line, and the kick returns from the endzone. 2nd time this year we've tried the reverse from 9 yards deep in the endzone.
Ugly - the 0-line, D-line, Conway people & refs. To add to what T4pizza said about the refs, they were bad, we beat ourselves, the refs didn't, but . . . . . NOT ONE SINGLE HOLDING CALL against chickens. Incredulous.

[WataugaMan]

Ugly - Most Sun Belt refs shouldn’t even be officiating pee wee ball!

[Bootsy]

Discussion question:

Which group’s skills are regressing faster:

• App State defense? Or…

• SBC officiating crews?

Sorry, couldn’t resist.

[BUTCH1991]

Discussion question:

Which group’s skills are regressing faster:

• App State defense? Or…

• SBC officiating crews?

Sorry, couldn’t resist.

I'm going with the SBC officiating crews. Watched part of the Southern-dont' want to be the other one-State game and they wasted 5 minutes reviewing whether the Iggles fumbled after the whistle had blown due to forward progress stopping. They finally remembered that you can't challenge the decision of when forward progress is stopped decision by a referee. Incompetent.

[AtlAppMan]

Agree we still should win regardless of refs BUT another one to add.
On the CC drive to put them ahead we were called for DPI and replay clearly showed our guy didn't even touch receiver, both fell to ground. Avery even chimed in on that one during the replay. That was a critical call and on 3rd down gave them the first and 15 yrds.

[ASUTodd]

Agree we still should win regardless of refs BUT another one to add.
On the CC drive to put them ahead we were called for DPI and replay clearly showed our guy didn't even touch receiver, both fell to ground. Avery even chimed in on that one during the replay. That was a critical call and on 3rd down gave them the first and 15 yrds.

Yes! Defense actually was going to stop them that series. I really wish replay could have chimed in and told the refs they missed that one. I know people say to win the game so it's out of the hands of the refs but sometimes in a shootout it isn't possible. That one is the one that really got me.

[MrCraig]

I don't mean this as snarky, but there's a nationwide shortage of umpires and referees. Every state needs more. So, if bad officiating really bothers you (and there has been some BAD officiating in App's recent games), please consider becoming a referee. We need good refs, and there are fewer and fewer every year.

[CoachRob]

My four takeaways:
1) Our offense digressed as the health of some key offensive players did. When Dubinion was a threat 1st half, with the starting O-line, Offense was 2 dimensional and unstopable, until ...

2) Dubinion's nagging injury caught up to him 2nd half, coupled with the loss of 2 starting OL, which made the offense 1 dimensional, especially in the redzone when there isn't room to take the top off the defense. If you don't have the ability to win the LOS in the redzone (which we couldn't 2nd half), this makes play calling so much more challenging. Not to mention a key drop by a wide open WR in the endzone for a game sealing score.

3) 1 of the greatest defensive challenges is defending a running QB. It means you now have to play 11 on 11 in the run game instead of 11 on 10 with a pocket QB. It presents a challenge. Making the challenge worse ...

4) Their OL flat out >>> than our DL. When they wanted 3-4 yards, they got 3-4 yards. Not sure how much of it was a talent issue vs a want to issue (maybe both), but that was a good ol clean fashion butt whooping up front. I think our 2ndary is already shaky, when D tried to load the box playing man on outside, Coastal exposed with the deep ball, scoring twice with throws down field. It's not a scheme issue, it's a talent issue when we find a better front than ours.

At the end of the day, we are still in a rebuild and we are seeing lack of depth with some key injuries. The rebuild though needs to start and stop with the players up front. Until we improve/develop the talent up front that we dominated with in the Satt era, we will continue to be around .500