ASU to

face ’Dogs
By Steve Behr

Appalachian State will spend the playoffs where they have done since 2005 — at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

The Mountaineers (10-2) were awarded the No. 2 seed by the Football Championship Subdivision committee and will host South Carolina State in the first round of the playoffs. Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPNU beginning at noon.

It’s a chance for seniors such as linebacker Pierre Banks to win four straight championships. Banks has already won a share, or won outright four Southern Conference titles, the latest being this year when Appalachian State finished 8-0 in the league. Winning another national championship would give Banks eight rings to put on his hands.

“I already got my fourth ring at Elon,” Banks said with a grin. “It would be something special to tell your kids and the people who mean a lot to you.”

Appalachian State isn’t looking that far just yet. They take on a South Carolina State team that is also 10-2 and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion. The Bulldogs are ranked 13th in The Sports Network poll and tied with Weber State for 12th in the coaches poll.

The Bulldogs, coached by Buddy Pough, closed out their season with three shutouts, including a 55-0 win over North Carolina A&T last weekend. The Orangeburg, S.C. team averages 30.5 points per game, second in the MEAC, and their 387.2 yards per game leads the conference.

Their leading rusher, William Ford, led he conference in rushing with 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns, a average of 115.2 yards per game.

Defensively, the Bulldogs give up a MEAC low 15.2 points per game. They’ve also outscored their last three opponents — Howard, Morgan State and N.C. A&T — 143-0.

The 248.2 yards per game they allow is the second lowest in the league.

“They have a terrific running back and two good quarterbacks,” Mountaineers coach Jerry Moore said. “They’ve always played good football down there. We’ve seen them against Wofford and I know they played Clemson. They’ve always had good football.”

South Carolina State has won its last eight games following a 54-0 loss to Clemson back on Sept. 20. They’ve also lost 17-0 at Central Florida.

FCS playoffs
The brackets for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. First three rounds are played at on-campus sites.
Nov. 29 games
Wofford (9-2) at (1) James Madison (10-1)
Colgate (9-2) at Villanova (9-2)
Texas State (8-4) at (4) Montana (11-1)
Cal Poly (8-2) at Weber St. (9-3)
S.C. State (10-2) at (2) Appalachian State (10-2)
Eastern Kentucky (8-3) at Richmond (9-3)
Maine (8-4) at (3) Northern Iowa (10-2)
Southern Illinois (9-2) at New Hampshire (9-2)
Dec. 6 games
James Madison/Wofford
winner vs. Villanova/Colgate
winner.
Texas State/Montana winner vs. Cal Poly/Weber State
winner.
South Carolina State/Appalachian State
winner vs. Eastern Kentucky/Richmond winner
Maine/Northern Iowa winner vs. Southern Illionois/New Hampshire winner.
Dec. 12 or 13
Semifinals
Dec. 19 at Chattanooga, Tenn.
Championship game