Will ASU Make It 2 Straight?

Although Triangle football this season was as depressing as a dreary sub-freezing day in February, except for North Carolina Central's run to the CIAA Championship, there were still several good stories across the state that did shine some sun to the east and west.

To the east, there was the resurgence of East Carolina under Skip Holtz. The Pirates picked for last in their Conference USA Division, finished the season 7-5 and now will play in the Dec. 23 PapaJohns.com Bowl in Birmingham.

And to the west, the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest's incredible 10-2 season culminated by defeating Georgia Tech to win the ACC Championship -- and who would have thought that back in August?

Move a little further to the west and a dynasty is brewing in Boone. Friday night in Chattanooga, Tenn., Appalachian State University will play for its second straight NCAA Division 1-AA football championship. Their opponent will be the University of Massachusetts.

It says here that the Mountaineers will have an excellent chance for the repeat.

Appalachian State has reeled off 13 straight wins after its season opening loss to N.C. State -- and if they played the Wolfpack later in the season, they might well be undefeated.

This is not a big team, but they win games with speed and toughness and excellent coaching. Head Coach Jerry Moore has been at ASU for 18 years and has built them step by step into a national power. Thursday night, he was named winner of the Eddie Robinson Award as the 1-AA Coach of the Year.

Speed, this Mountaineer team has it. "Everyone we play is way bigger than us, but we have that passion, that heart and that fight," star running back Kevin Richardson says.

They do have that. Richardson, a junior, has rushed for close to 1,500 yards while freshman quarterback Armanti Edwards, lightning quick has had a season very few other have had, passing for over 2,000 yards and rushing for over 1,000.

"He's got a great knack of seeing things and he's got tremendous quickness," Moore says. "Armanti is a tough football player. For his size, he's extremely tough. I like to think our whole football team is like that."

Now, Edwards hurt his shoulder in last Saturday's win over Youngstown State, but he's expected to be fine for Friday's championship game.

The defense is keyed by defensive end Marques Murrell, the senior from Fayetteville, who has 12.5 sacks on the season.

Of course, it won't be easy against Massachusetts. It never is when teams take it up to this level. The Minutemen also are 13-1 record going into the championship contest, and you don't have that record and get this far without being a good football team.

They know that Appalachian State is favored, but that doesn't concern them. As a matter of fact, they embrace it.

UMASS believes they have the weapons with tailback Steve Baylark, who rushed for 246 yards in the semi-final win over Montana, leading the way.

"We've got a marquee tailback, a quarterback (Liam Coen) that is very stable and knows how to run the offense," says head coach Don Brown. "We've got a defensive unit that plays tough and makes your day tough."

Of course, Appalachian State can say the same thing -- and has. And a very important factor, Chattanooga is much closer to Boone than it is to Amherst and the Mountaineers will have a huge following, almost like a home game, which is a good omen. And they have players who know what its like to play for it all.

This Appalachian State senior class has never lost a home game, going 27-0, and with a huge throng of ASU fans on hand, the Mountaineers will feel like they're back home at Kidd Brewer Stadium. This will be a huge advantage.

One championship is the thrill of a lifetime, two straight puts you in rare company. The boys from Bonne know what's at stake. You bet they do.

I wouldn't bet against them.