Appalachian State Moutaineers vs. NCCU Eagles

After taking over the #1 spot in the polls this week, Appalachian State University will take on North Carolina Central this Saturday at Kidd-Brewer Stadium.

This Saturday will also be Fan Appreciation Day at The Rock. Fans will have the opportunity to win several different items, as well as be chosen for seat upgrades and a chance to be out on the field when the Mountaineers run out of the tunnel in front of the screaming fans. Also, in honor of this day, the Mountaineers will be wearing their gold alternate Nike Pro Combat jerseys for the home crowd. These game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off next month.

ASU is coming off of a big win over the Jacksonville Dolphins last week. Quarterback DeAndre Presley set a record that even legendary quarterback Armanti Edwards had no match for. Presley became the first Mountaineer ever to account for 300 yards of total offense in three of his first four starts at the position.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Appalachian State 55, North Carolina Central 21

Mountaineers run over NC Central

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State football coach Jerry Moore was rattling off the mistakes his team made Saturday in a non-conference game against North Carolina Central. He wasn't happy with the eight penalties his team committed. He didn't think his team tackled very well. And he was not at all pleased about a blown coverage that led to a long touchdown pass by the Eagles. Listening to Moore, you'd never guess his team turned in one of its most dominating statistical performances ever, rolling to a 55-21 victory in front of 25,017 fans at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Coaches and players were nonchalant after defeating the winless Eagles (0-6), who stunned the hosts early by turning two Mountaineers turnovers into touchdowns and a 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter.

Photo Album

Mountaineers Blast NCCU, 55-21

Appalachian State University football racked up 644 yards of total offense and 34 first downs and held a 407-5 advantage in rushing yardage en route to a 55-21 homecoming rout over North Carolina Central on Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Appalachian (3-2) dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball to claim the commanding triumph. Led by 124 yards from Devon Moore, ASU rushed for more than 400 yards for the sixth time in its last 25 games while its defense held an opponent to fewer than 50 rushing yards for the third time since the beginning of the 2003 season and less than five rushing yards for the second time in the past eight games (ASU limited Western Carolina to minus-two yards on the ground in last year’s regular-season finale).

In all, Appalachian out-gained N.C. Central, 644-194. ASU’s 644 yards were the most NCCU has ever allowed in its 86-year football history.Despite the eye-popping numbers, the Mountaineers had to overcome a sluggish start to post the dominating win. Thanks to a pair of turnovers deep in their own territory, the Apps trailed, 14-7, after one quarter.

Attendance: 25,017 @Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, N.C.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

READ RELATED ARTICLES:
NCCU plans 'biggest homecoming' ever
NCCU women to face five ACC opponents
Scott moving up NCCU's lists

Southern Conference announces cost-cutting measures for 2009-10

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The Southern Conference will cut all conference baseball series from three days to two for the 2009-10 year, part of a move to cut $120,000 from its budget. Other budget-cutting moves include:

l increasing the use of teleconferences instead of in-person meetings for head coaches and select administrative committees.
l reducing the number of teams qualifying for Conference tournaments in the sports of women's soccer, volleyball, men's soccer, softball, men's tennis and women's tennis to the top four teams.

l eliminating football and basketball media days.

l eliminating printed media guides next year, as well as staff travel to regular-season contests, televised games and conventions.

"We are all faced with some difficult choices right now," said UNCG Director of Athletics Nelson Bobb. "This isn't limited to small schools or big schools, athletic departments or academic departments. While different institutions are affected in different ways, no one is immune to it at this time. "Everyone is taking a hard look at expenditures and methods of operation at a tough financial time," he said. "Hopefully, the choices that we are all having to make are just for the short term."

The conference will review these measures in January 2010 to determine the financial play for the 2010-11 season.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

The SoCon is cutting costs to save $120,000 as the MEAC continues to move games away from the home campus to classic promoters who promises wealth, but all the teams are going broke. It's time for schools like FAMU to cut loose those high paid ($90,000- $140,000) athletic department marketing stiffs that are a drain on the budget. This is not the time for wasteful spending with the economic outlook bleak for the coming months.

Opponents hard to come by for the mighty Appalachian State Mountaineers

Photo: Sophomore Quarterback Amanti Edwards, #14 has led Applachian State to two of their three consecutive FCS Championships and a upset of then #5 ranked Michigan.

ASHEVILLE — The cost of success is going up for the Appalachian State football program. A shocking upset at No. 5 Michigan and a third straight Football Championship Subdivision national championship were the bookends to a 13-2 season in 2007 for the Mountaineers, but those accomplishments have made Jay Sutton’s job much more challenging.

According to Cobb and Sutton, the FBS schools that turned down the opportunity to play ASU included North Carolina, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Alabama and Wisconsin. “North Carolina is interesting. We had the date open and were willing and eager to play them, but instead they scheduled (FCS school) McNeese State,” Sutton said.

CONTINUE READING THIS INTERESTING STORY BY CLICKING ON THE BLOG TITLE.

Florida A&M University have two open dates on the 2008 football schedule and only 11 games scheduled, but no reports came from the Rattlers Athletic Department regarding scheduling a home and home date with Appalachian State. What about 2009 or 2011, or are we planning our schedules like our neighbors, the Florida State Seminoles, who scheduled lowly FCS Western Carolina and University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, while telling Appalachian State to go straight to H...

FAMU should be knocking Appalachian State door down to get a game scheduled for Bragg Memorial Stadium for the sellout and fan interests that it will generate across North Florida. Appalachian State is an opportunity for a schedule upgrade for the Rattlers, or South Carolina State, Norfolk State, Delaware State or Hampton. FAMU and the MEAC should not pass up this opportunity.

Ex-Husker coach Wagner to lead Western Carolina

Compiled by beepbeep

Dennis Wagner was hired yesterday as Western Carolina’s 12th football coach.

Wagner is a former offensive line coach at Nebraska and a former head coach at Wayne State College of Nebraska. Prior to Wagner’s four-year stint at Nebraska, he served as assistant head coach and offensive line coach for seven years at Fresno State.

The 49 year old coach was the head coach at Wayne State College from 1989 to 1996, leading the Wildcats to a 44-37-1 record while guiding the team from NAIA to NCAA Division II classification. His 1993 team led NCAA Division II in total offense at 581.5 yards per game.

Wagner, who has seven years of head coaching experience, will be formally introduced at a press conference scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at Western Carolina University.

Western Carolina committed more than three-quarters of a million dollars with the hope that Wagner can turn the Catamounts' program around, too. Wagner agreed to a contract worth at least $830,000 over the next five years.

Wagner's contract will pay him $100,000 for the first season, $180,000 for each of the second through fourth seasons and $190,000 for the fifth season. Smith said the contract includes incentives for beating an NCAA Division I Bowl Subdivision team, winning a conference championship, winning playoff games and attaining certain academic progress achievements.

WCU athletic director Chip Smith said the contract's lower first-year salary was requested by Wagner's agent and is not related to the fact that WCU still owes former coach Kent Briggs $110,823 annually over the next two years.

Photo: Western Carolina new head football coach Dennis Wagner brings seven years of head coaching experience at NAIA and Division II levels.

Former Hampton coach Joe Taylor was offered the position but he elected to take the Florida A&M job instead.

Western Carolina did not win a Southern Conference game while going 3-19 overall the last two seasons under WCU graduate, Kent Briggs, who was fired on November 12, 2007.

Briggs was moved to another job at the university after the 1-10 season of 2007, and an overall six-year record of 22-43.

Bill Callahan brought Wagner to Nebraska shortly after he was hired in 2004.

Wagner last month was one of seven assistant coaches that Bo Pelini chose not to retain after replacing Callahan as the Nebraska Huskers' head coach.

The Catamounts will open the 2008 season at Florida State University.

WCU annually play reigning FCS champion Appalachian State and Georgia Southern in the Southern Conference and they played at Georgia and Alabama in 2007.

READ MORE ABOUT WESTERN CAROLINA COACHING HIRE BY CLICKING ON THE BLOG TITLE ABOVE.

The Dennis Wagner Profile
Age: 49.
Birthplace: Waverly, Iowa.
Education: Utah, bachelors in psychology, 1982; St. Cloud State, masters in athletic administration, 1987.
Playing experience: Drake, 1976; Ellsworth (Iowa) Community College, 1977; Utah, 1978-79.
Coaching experience: Luther College (assistant coach/offensive line), 1980; UNLV (assistant coach/tight ends), 1981-82; William Penn (head track and field coach), 1983; UNLV (assistant strength coach), 1984; St. Cloud (Minn.) State (offensive coordinator/offensive line), 1985-88; Wayne (Neb.) State (head coach), 1989-96; Fresno State (assistant head coach/offensive line), 1997-2003; Nebraska (assistant coach/offensive line), 2004-2007.