What...no confidence in Savannah State beating Georgia Southern? I mean, they kept Florida State within 80...

I think in the first half of the season anyone could have beat us, new coaching staff, making moves in a game that didn't make sense, only 2 legitimate qbs, the starter done by the 3rd game, some of the best talent reshirted etc. it was a total cluster #$%$ the first 5 games. But, the GS game things finally started to turn around, found a great running back, coaching staff and players finally were on the same page, game plans started making sense. I think we were 3-1 last 4 games, with the only lost to Georgia, game we were only down 14-6 at half. You can make a case that we were the most improved team in the SC from the first to last game. I don't have a clue what will happen next year, hearing a lot of positives during the spring, but man, we have a lot of question marks. We should beat Liberty, but with everything going on, joining a new conference, and all the new faces getting playing time, it wouldn't surprise me if this was a very close game late into the 4th.

First part of last year it was painful watching our #1 QB who was all-American and all-SoCon the year before
not being able to really play. He had a major operation in the off season and the coaching staff stayed with
him way too long. That and not having the running game going, and new DC and completely new defense,
spelled way too many close losses. Plus some teams we were playing had their best teams ever.

(06-18-2014 09:50 AM)GoApps70 Wrote:  First part of last year it was painful watching our #1 QB who was all-American and all-SoCon the year before
not being able to really play. He had a major operation in the off season and the coaching staff stayed with
him way too long. That and not having the running game going, and new DC and completely new defense,
spelled way too many close losses. Plus some teams we were playing had their best teams ever.

In hindsight you actually had a pretty tough OOC. Montana, Charleston Southern, and NC A&T finished a combined 27-10.

(06-18-2014 10:01 AM)TrueBlueAlum Wrote:  

(06-18-2014 09:50 AM)GoApps70 Wrote:  First part of last year it was painful watching our #1 QB who was all-American and all-SoCon the year before
not being able to really play. He had a major operation in the off season and the coaching staff stayed with
him way too long. That and not having the running game going, and new DC and completely new defense,
spelled way too many close losses. Plus some teams we were playing had their best teams ever.

In hindsight you actually had a pretty tough OOC. Montana, Charleston Southern, and NC A&T finished a combined 27-10.

And that is with some of them tanking because of injuries the last part of the season. Our coaches said they had debated all last summer whether to redshirt everyone or just part of them. Finally decided we could win if they redshirted all of them. They had to play a couple because we didn't have anyone in those positions. If they had only known that several of the teams we were playing would have their best teams ever then they might have done it differently. But should put us in pretty good shape this year, but you never know.
Fans will look at our schedule for this year and think Michigan will be our hardest game, but we know it is actually Liberty, because
they are FBS ready, as the LU article says.

(06-17-2014 10:53 PM)GoApps70 Wrote:  

(06-17-2014 07:47 PM)Liberty Fan Wrote:  

(06-17-2014 06:59 PM)Saint3333 Wrote:  

(06-17-2014 05:23 PM)TroyFootball05 Wrote:  You all jest, but Liberty was much better than app state last season. I'd say the odds are in Liberty's favor this season.

Don't let your hate for liberty cloud your judgement.

Not by seasons end they weren't.

We closed strong as well, beat Charleston Southern 56-14.

You had a good year, but Charleston Southern lost 27-10 to Gardner Webb the week before you played them, so evidently they had some problems by the end of the year.

It is called a huge gap between QB1 and QB2.

I'd say if Liberty beats App St. they should be invited to the Sun Belt. (Not serious but thought that's the way that thousand page threads get started.)

(06-18-2014 02:22 PM)RowdyAlumni Wrote:  I'd say if Liberty beats App St. they should be invited to the Sun Belt. (Not serious but thought that's the way that thousand page threads get started.)

Thought people had been saying add Liberty to C-USA, same division as MTSU.

(06-18-2014 09:50 AM)GoApps70 Wrote:  First part of last year it was painful watching our #1 QB who was all-American and all-SoCon the year before
not being able to really play. He had a major operation in the off season and the coaching staff stayed with
him way too long. That and not having the running game going, and new DC and completely new defense,
spelled way too many close losses. Plus some teams we were playing had their best teams ever.

I don't know that the teams you played had their best seasons ever rather, like TXST, they were all up for their game against you. Happened to us in the year where the guys were playing for nothing. I felt bad for the seniors that year because everyone in the SLC was out to prove they were better than TXST and wanted to "rub it in our faces" (leaving). In the meantime, Fran & Co. were experimenting with players all season long, the team knew it. The guys hated it and it showed on the field (not saying that the App players were just going through the motions like ours did, though)

(06-18-2014 04:34 PM)CatMom Wrote:  

(06-18-2014 09:50 AM)GoApps70 Wrote:  First part of last year it was painful watching our #1 QB who was all-American and all-SoCon the year before
not being able to really play. He had a major operation in the off season and the coaching staff stayed with
him way too long. That and not having the running game going, and new DC and completely new defense,
spelled way too many close losses. Plus some teams we were playing had their best teams ever.

I don't know that the teams you played had their best seasons ever rather, like TXST, they were all up for their game against you. Happened to us in the year where the guys were playing for nothing. I felt bad for the seniors that year because everyone in the SLC was out to prove they were better than TXST and wanted to "rub it in our faces" (leaving). In the meantime, Fran & Co. were experimenting with players all season long, the team knew it. The guys hated it and it showed on the field (not saying that the App players were just going through the motions like ours did, though)

That may have had some to do with it catmom. After all it was the first year without legendary coach Moore. New HC, new DC, new OC's and assistants. Plus, like you said, nothing to play for. However seems hard to imagine from a fans standpoint because you feel there is everything to play for. However several of those teams went undefeated or nearly so until late last year.

(06-17-2014 05:56 PM)Tuscon Wrote:  I'm just happy they didn't put Abilene Christian over Georgia State. Womp womp

that could very well happen.

(06-19-2014 06:33 AM)runamuck Wrote:  

(06-17-2014 05:56 PM)Tuscon Wrote:  I'm just happy they didn't put Abilene Christian over Georgia State. Womp womp

that could very well happen.

I don't see ACU beating GSU or Troy, but they will give us fits for 2 or 3 quarters. They aren't Savannah State by any means. They have more than a few FBS transfers on their roster, several of those being from P5 schools.

One could make the case that Liberty was better than App State in 2013. Last year means nothing at this point. It's what we do this year that matters. It is a home game and thus we should be favored but anyone who thinks this Liberty team is a pushover is fooling themselves. They are more than capable of beating us.

(06-19-2014 07:11 AM)hapapp Wrote:  One could make the case that Liberty was better than App State in 2013. Last year means nothing at this point. It's what we do this year that matters. It is a home game and thus we should be favored but anyone who thinks this Liberty team is a pushover is fooling themselves. They are more than capable of beating us.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaaf/sagarin/2014/team/

Let's face the fact that App had a lot of issues last year, especially early in the year and Liberty was probably every bit as good as App. Hopefully those issues have been fixed and the App program will really be improved this year from game one. Liberty has a good program with a very good Head Coach and I expect the game to be a dogfight. I can predict App to beat Michigan too but that doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things.

It should be a good one! Advantage App, it's homecoming and they are loaded with FBS scholarships. One advantage for Liberty, FBS teams have a hard time getting up for FCS opponents. Liberty wants this one, and the Richmond one badly.

Is everyone here forgetting that we and App both announced the move up AFTER Signing Day? The only "FBS recruits" either of us have are the ones we just signed a few months ago.

LU might have had a chance to beat us early last year, but not the end of the season when we started playing well, and certainly not this coming year.

I could eat my words of course, but it's the second easiest game on what I expect to be a 4-6 win season.

Did Liberty have better players than App State last year .... No.
Could they have beat us early last year .... Yes, but so could the Little Sisters Kindergarten.

(06-18-2014 10:06 AM)GoApps70 Wrote:  Fans will look at our schedule for this year and think Michigan will be our hardest game, but we know it is actually Liberty, because
they are FBS ready, as the LU article says.