Richmond has a healthier defense this time around
- Appalachian State got past Richmond last season on its way to a third straight national title.
The Mountaineers will have to do it again to win a fourth. They'll take on the Spiders at noon today at Kidd Brewer Stadium in a quarterfinal game of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
The game, according to Coach Mike London of Richmond, will be a welcome return trip after his team's 55-35 loss to Appalachian in last season's semifinals.
"Having to go to Boone, N.C., is a formidable challenge, but at this stage you're playing to win games ? and I think our players are excited about the opportunity to go and play," said London, whose Spiders are 10-3 and ranked as high as No. 6 in the national polls.
"In order to be the best, you have to beat the best. And obviously Appalachian State is kind of the New England Patriots of college football in terms of their championships and everything that's going on with their program."
If the Mountaineers are like the storied Patriots, the Spiders might be the equivalent of the Tennessee Titans -- an imposing opponent this season.
Richmond's only losses are to Virginia (16-0) and highly-ranked FCS teams James Madison (38-31) and Villanova (26-20). The Spiders have wins over four Top 25 FCS teams -- Delaware, Elon, Maine and Massachusetts.
Circumstances surrounding today's game are a bit different than the playoff game last year, when the Spiders were injury riddled, especially on defense.
"The first thing that comes to my mind is that they've got two fine defensive ends that didn't play against us last year," said Coach Jerry Moore, whose Mountaineers are 11-2 and ranked No. 2.
"They've got a lot of their kids back. They've got two great defensive ends, their quarterback is a good player, and their running back is a good, strong power runner. They're just a good solid football team."
Richmond's defensive ends are seniors Lawrence Sidbury (6-4, 265) and Sherman Logan (6-3, 241). Both missed last season's game with injuries; the two have combined for 13.5 sacks this season.
"Those guys are both NFL prospects." Moore said.
The Spiders rank fifth in the FCS in total defense. They allow 251 yards a game, and just 99 rushing, and have forced 30 turnovers.
"I think with Sherman and Lawrence having an opportunity to play now that it adds another element of our defense whether it's pressure on the quarterback or playing the run," London said. "When those two guys are playing, we are a pretty good defense, and hopefully this time we'll be able to show that up there at their place."
Richmond features a balanced offense, with a proficient quarterback-receiver combo in Eric Ward and Kevin Grayson and a 1,500-yard rusher in tailback Josh Vaughan.
The Mountaineers rank second in the FCS in yards per game (472) and third in points per game (39.2).
Armanti Edwards, the Mountaineers' dynamic quarterback, had a literal field day in last season's playoff game against Richmond, rushing for a school-record 313 yards on 13 carries.
London, a former defensive back at Richmond and former defensive coordinator at Virginia, is in his first season as head coach. He took over for Dave Clawson, who left to become the offensive coordinator at Tennessee.
London watched video of Edwards running for four touchdowns and passing for three in last year's game but already knew about him. He said that Edwards' performance against the Spiders came in a different gear.
"It was warp speed," London said. "He's obviously one of the best players in the country.
"The offense runs through him. It seems like he's been there forever, although he's a junior. I've seen him play it seems like four or five years. My son was at UMass, and they played them in the national-championship game (in 2006). He's got a lot of experience, and he's a proven leader."
Appalachian has won 13 straight playoff games, and 12 games in a row at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Last year's semifinal game against Richmond, on a Friday night, drew a crowd of 24,140 -- a record for an FCS playoff game other than a championship.
London said it should help that his veteran team has been to Boone before.
"One of the good things about this is we traveled last year, played them at their place so there's no ?Oh my gosh, look at this stadium, look at this crowd,'" London said. "So that element of it I don't think will be as important. Although the crowd is important, the travel, going there and playing there won't be."
- Appalachian State got past Richmond last season on its way to a third straight national title.
The Mountaineers will have to do it again to win a fourth. They'll take on the Spiders at noon today at Kidd Brewer Stadium in a quarterfinal game of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
The game, according to Coach Mike London of Richmond, will be a welcome return trip after his team's 55-35 loss to Appalachian in last season's semifinals.
"Having to go to Boone, N.C., is a formidable challenge, but at this stage you're playing to win games ? and I think our players are excited about the opportunity to go and play," said London, whose Spiders are 10-3 and ranked as high as No. 6 in the national polls.
"In order to be the best, you have to beat the best. And obviously Appalachian State is kind of the New England Patriots of college football in terms of their championships and everything that's going on with their program."
If the Mountaineers are like the storied Patriots, the Spiders might be the equivalent of the Tennessee Titans -- an imposing opponent this season.
Richmond's only losses are to Virginia (16-0) and highly-ranked FCS teams James Madison (38-31) and Villanova (26-20). The Spiders have wins over four Top 25 FCS teams -- Delaware, Elon, Maine and Massachusetts.
Circumstances surrounding today's game are a bit different than the playoff game last year, when the Spiders were injury riddled, especially on defense.
"The first thing that comes to my mind is that they've got two fine defensive ends that didn't play against us last year," said Coach Jerry Moore, whose Mountaineers are 11-2 and ranked No. 2.
"They've got a lot of their kids back. They've got two great defensive ends, their quarterback is a good player, and their running back is a good, strong power runner. They're just a good solid football team."
Richmond's defensive ends are seniors Lawrence Sidbury (6-4, 265) and Sherman Logan (6-3, 241). Both missed last season's game with injuries; the two have combined for 13.5 sacks this season.
"Those guys are both NFL prospects." Moore said.
The Spiders rank fifth in the FCS in total defense. They allow 251 yards a game, and just 99 rushing, and have forced 30 turnovers.
"I think with Sherman and Lawrence having an opportunity to play now that it adds another element of our defense whether it's pressure on the quarterback or playing the run," London said. "When those two guys are playing, we are a pretty good defense, and hopefully this time we'll be able to show that up there at their place."
Richmond features a balanced offense, with a proficient quarterback-receiver combo in Eric Ward and Kevin Grayson and a 1,500-yard rusher in tailback Josh Vaughan.
The Mountaineers rank second in the FCS in yards per game (472) and third in points per game (39.2).
Armanti Edwards, the Mountaineers' dynamic quarterback, had a literal field day in last season's playoff game against Richmond, rushing for a school-record 313 yards on 13 carries.
London, a former defensive back at Richmond and former defensive coordinator at Virginia, is in his first season as head coach. He took over for Dave Clawson, who left to become the offensive coordinator at Tennessee.
London watched video of Edwards running for four touchdowns and passing for three in last year's game but already knew about him. He said that Edwards' performance against the Spiders came in a different gear.
"It was warp speed," London said. "He's obviously one of the best players in the country.
"The offense runs through him. It seems like he's been there forever, although he's a junior. I've seen him play it seems like four or five years. My son was at UMass, and they played them in the national-championship game (in 2006). He's got a lot of experience, and he's a proven leader."
Appalachian has won 13 straight playoff games, and 12 games in a row at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Last year's semifinal game against Richmond, on a Friday night, drew a crowd of 24,140 -- a record for an FCS playoff game other than a championship.
London said it should help that his veteran team has been to Boone before.
"One of the good things about this is we traveled last year, played them at their place so there's no ?Oh my gosh, look at this stadium, look at this crowd,'" London said. "So that element of it I don't think will be as important. Although the crowd is important, the travel, going there and playing there won't be."
