 Senior Devin Radford practices a running play during practice Monday. Zack Wilson | The Appalachian Mountaineer fans have been waiting all summer for Appalachian football, and the wait is finally over.
The Apps kick off the season Saturday at SoCon rival Chattanooga.
With the “Armanti Edwards Era” officially over, new starting quarterback DeAndre Presley has been handed the reins and has an enormous pair of shoes to fill. But he remains confident.
“I can’t worry about what other people say or do, so I don’t really feel any pressure because I’m confident,” Presley said. “I am much more focused on being a leader this year.”
Presley’s teammates and coaches are supportive of their new quarterback.
“DeAndre already has experience from his freshman and sophomore years,” head coach Jerry Moore said. “He played real well in games at Western Carolina and East Carolina in the past, and now he has to continue to improve.”
The Mountaineers are coming off of a very successful season, finishing 9-2 with a perfect 8-0 SoCon record and reaching the FCS Semifinals.
App. reached the playoffs for the fifth straight season, meeting South Carolina State in the first round.
After a 20-13 comeback, the Mountaineers traveled to Richmond to take on the team that knocked them out of the playoffs the year before.
Appalachian came back once again, sending the Spiders home with a 35-31 victory.
ASU met with the undefeated Grizzlies in Missoula, Mont., in the FCS Semifinals where they fell short of another comeback win and saw their season end in heartbreaking fashion.
But with another deep run in the FCS Playoffs, the Apps are poised to learn from the mistakes that cost them another shot at a national championship and to grow as a team.
“The experience is extremely helpful,” wide receiver Brian Quick said. “We know we should have come out and won last year, but now we have to do that this year.”
The Mountaineers are returning a number of key starters on both sides of the ball, which will help Presley adjust to the starting role.
Running back Devon Moore, who is one of 20 candidates on the official watch list for the 2010 Walter Payton Award according to The Sports Network, highlights a long list of experienced starters.
Other key offensive starters include wide receivers Quick, CoCo Hillary and Matt Cline, tight end Ben Jorden and offensive linemen Brett Irvin, Daniel Kilgore, Pat Mills and Matt Ruff.
The most depth on the team, however, lies on the other side of the ball.
The Appalachian defense returns a number of starters and looks strong.
Leading the defense is linebacker D.J. Smith, who is one of 51 college players – the only one from the FCS – on the official watch list of the 2010 Butkus Award, which recognizes the nation’s top linebackers.
Smith is determined to lead the defense to the next level.
“The depth of our defense is tremendous,” Smith said, who is one of App’s five team captains. “We have so much speed and intensity with our defense.”
Other key defensive starters returning include defensive linemen Jabari Fletcher, Bobby Bozzo and Lanston Tanyi, as well as defensive backs Ed Gainey, Mark LeGree and Dominique McDuffie.
The Mountaineers’ opponent, the Mocs of UT-Chattanooga, are coming off of a 6-5 season in which they went 4-4 in conference play, a complete turnaround from a 1-11 season in 2008 when they lost every conference contest.
“They [Chattanooga] keep improving and will no doubt be better this season,” Moore said.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. in Chattanooga, Tenn., at Finley Stadium.
Story: MATT GORRY, Intern Sports Reporter
Photo: Zach Wilson
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