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ASU Football Notebook: Opener at Montana on ESPN 3

Tony Washington (left) and Jamal Londry-Jackson (right) have both been named to the official watch list for the 2014 Senior Bowl. Courtesy App State Sports - Chase Reynolds
Tony Washington (left) and Jamal Londry-Jackson (right) have both been named to the official watch list for the 2014 Senior Bowl. Courtesy App State Sports – Chase Reynolds

Aug. 26, 2013. Appalachian State University football’s 2013 season opener at Montana will be carried live on ESPN3, ESPN announced on Wednesday. Kickoff is set for Saturday, Aug. 31 at 9 p.m. ET (7 p.m. MT) at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Mont.

ESPN3 is ESPN’s online platform and is available in approximately 75 million homes nationwide as well as to 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel. ESPN3 is also available to subscribers through Xbox LIVE and on smartphones, tablets and Apple TV via the WatchESPN app. Check with your internet or mobile service provider to see if you receive ESPN3 programming.

The Appalachian State-Montana game broadcast is being produced by Max Media and, in addition to ESPN3, will air live on stations throughout the state of Montana.

“We’re appreciative of ESPN, Max Media, the Southern Conference and the University of Montana for their efforts in giving Appalachian fans nationwide the opportunity to tune in to this much-anticipated season opener between two great programs,” Appalachian State director of athletics Charlie Cobb said.   

The longtime NCAA Division I FCS powers are squaring off for the fourth time. The Mountaineers dropped heartbreakers at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in the 2000 and 2009 national semifinals before exacting revenge with a 35-27 triumph over the Griz on Sept. 8 of last season in Boone, N.C. This season’s matchup closes a two-game home-and-home series between the squads and is one of the most anticipated contests of Appalachian’s final FCS season. The Mountaineers join the NCAA Division I FBS Sun Belt Conference in 2014.

MOUNTAINEER DUO ON SENIOR BOWL WATCH LIST: Appalachian State quarterback Jamal Londry-Jackson (Atlanta, Ga./North Atlanta) and wide receiver Tony Washington (High Point, N.C./T.W. Andrews) have been named to the official watch list for the 2014 Senior Bowl.

Londry-Jackson is among only 12 signal-callers from non-”Power Five” conferences under consideration for an invitation to college football’s most prestigious postseason all-star game, which will be held on Jan. 25, 2014 in Mobile, Ala. Washington is one of 27 wideouts from outside the power conferences on the list.

The recognition is the latest in a long line of preseason honors for Londry-Jackson, who was also named the Southern Conference’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and is one of 20 players on the official watch list for the Walter Payton Award, which is presented to the nation’s top NCAA Division I FCS player. 

As a junior last season, Londry-Jackson was a first-team all-conference honoree and a finalist for the Payton Award. He led the SoCon and ranked seventh nationally last season in both passing yards (3,278) and total offense (3,606 yards). The 3,278 passing yards were just 13 yards shy of the school record of 3,291 set by two-time SoCon Player of the Year and Payton Award winner Armanti Edwards in 2009.

Like his quarterback, Washington is no stranger to preseason honors, as he has been tabbed a preseason all-American by both The Sports Network and Phil Steele. 

In 2012, Washington established himself as one of the nation’s premier playmakers with 1,316 all-purpose yards. He caught 39 passes for 472 yards as a junior, good for third on the squad in both categories, and rushed eight times for 71 yards, good for a lofty 8.9-yard average. He also ranked 11th nationally with a 27.3-yard kickoff-return average and 21st with a 9.0-yard punt-return average. He scored six touchdowns — three receiving, two rushing and one on a 99-yard kickoff return (the longest return by a Mountaineer in 44 years).

In the 64-year history of the Senior Bowl, Appalachian State has been represented in the game just twice — by wideouts Dexter Jackson following the 2007 season and Brian Quick after the 2011 campaign.