By Paul T. Choate
Oct. 11, 2012. It’s getting to be about that time of the week to start talking about football, sports fans. On Saturday, No. 13 Appalachian State (4-2, 2-1 SoCon) travels to Birmingham, Ala. to take on No. 25 Samford (5-1, 3-1 SoCon). It will be ASU’s third time in the last six games facing a ranked opponent.
The game promises to be a classic matchup of great offense versus great defense. The Mountaineers rank in the top 25 nationally in points per game (33.3, 22nd), rushing yards per game (209.3, 20th) and passing yards per game (263.5, 24th). ASU is averaging 472.8 total offensive yards, which is good for eighth in the nation. For the first time since joining NCAA Division I, they have totaled at least 400 yards of offense in all six games they have played to this point.
Also a testament to ASU’s powerful offense, this past week quarterback Jamal Jackson earned SoCon and national player-of-the-week honors after totaling a career-high 398 yards of total offense last Saturday against Elon University.
On the other side of the coin, Samford’s defense only allows 18.8 points per game, good for 19th in the country. Their response to Jackson’s offensive prowess this Saturday is safety Jaquiski Tartt, who was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Month for the month of September. Last week, Tartt was able to convert an interception into a touchdown in Samford’s 38-7 beat down on The Citadel.
ASU is riding a three-game winning streak after starting the season 1-2 and they are currently ranked fourth in the SoCon standings. They hold a 5-1 record over Samford and are undefeated in games played at Seibert Stadium. The Bulldogs have not beaten ASU since Nov. 7, 1970, although the two teams did not face off against each other between 1971 and 2007. The Bulldogs have not beaten ASU since they joined the Southern Conference 2008.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. The game will not be televised. You can listen to the game live on the radio at WATA-AM 1450.
For additional information on all ASU sports, visit goasu.com.
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