Jayson Foster is tormenting a new group of coaches this week as defensive assistants at Chattanooga are currently scratching their heads and searching for ways to contain Georgia Southern’s elusive quarterback.
The senior stole the show with a school-record six rushing touchdowns against Coastal Carolina last week, and through two games no one’s been able to stop him. The Mocs (0-2) will get their shot in Saturday’s 7 p.m. game at Paulson Stadium.
“He’s a great player, and you’ve just got to try to do the best you can to limit the amount of times he’s in a position to make big plays,” Mocs coach Rodney Allison said Tuesday. “If he’s not the most explosive player in this league, he’s obviously in the top two or three. We are going to have to do a great job of playing defense and try as much as we can to take it out of his hands.”
With a quarterback as athletic as Foster, defenses are forced to show different looks instead of playing it straight, Allison said. Gang tackling has also been a popular top of conversation for the Mocs defense this week.
“You’ve got to relentlessly chase the ball,” he said. “We’ve got to have people there to tackle him when we miss tackles because he’s going to make some people miss. We’ll just have to play really good to win.”
ASU, Wofford ready to battle
No doubt, there’ve been plenty of distractions around Appalachian State the last few weeks. The hoopla and national media exposure that followed the Mountaineers’ season-opening win over Michigan has died down slightly, and ASU (3-0) is eager to open SoCon play this weekend at Wofford (2-1).
“Thank goodness conference play is here,” Mountaineer coach Jerry Moore said. “I think it’s what we’ve been looking forward to. We’re back to normal, and we’re preparing for one of the best teams in the league. (The players) are glad to have the fanfare behind them, and they’re ready to defend their championship, or try to anyway.”
The Terriers are looking to rebound from an uncharacteristically mistake-plagued 38-17 loss at N.C. State last week and doubt they’ll catch the Mountaineers slacking.
“We’ve got to start out on all cylinders, we can’t flounder around on either side of the ball and we can’t make a mistake in the kicking game,” Wofford coach Mike Ayers said. “We’ve got to be a heck of a football team when we kick it off.”
ASU backup quarterback Trey Elder started for the second straight game last week, and starter Armanti Edwards hasn’t played since bruising a shoulder against Michigan. Moore isn’t sure which QB will start this week, and Ayers said each signal caller has proven worthy of playing time.
“(Both) of them are dangerous,” he said. “The thing you’ve got to do is be able to execute no matter who’s in there.”
The Terriers had a shot at ASU last year but fell in Boone 14-7.
“They’ve always been well-coached and had a very disciplined offense,” Moore said. “You’ve got to be a very disciplined defense to stay on the field with them.”
Furman to stick with 2 QBs
Furman coach Bobby Lamb said Renaldo Gray and Jordan Sorrells will continue to share time at quarterback for the Paladins, who are off this week after Saturday’s 38-10 loss at Clemson. Gray’s status as the starter won’t change, Lamb added, but the Paladins (1-2) will use the break to reevaluate themselves prior to beginning league play against Wofford next week.
Four Furman fumbles and three big pass plays by the Tigers were costly for Paladins, who had several bright spots including out-gaining Clemson 384-377 in total offense, owning a 13-minute advantage in time of possession and recording five sacks.
Gray is healthy and has had a solid season but needs to improve his running game, Lamb said. Sorrells completed his first 15 attempts against the Tigers, earning him more playing time than Gray last week.
“We left him in there because he had the hot hand,” Lamb said. “We feel like we’ve got two very good quarterbacks. They are both very capable, and we’ll continue with our system.”
Around the league
As for other SoCon team this week, Elon (1-1) hosts Liberty, and Western Carolina (0-3) plays its first home game of the year against Presbyterian. The Citadel (2-1) is off.
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
The senior stole the show with a school-record six rushing touchdowns against Coastal Carolina last week, and through two games no one’s been able to stop him. The Mocs (0-2) will get their shot in Saturday’s 7 p.m. game at Paulson Stadium.
“He’s a great player, and you’ve just got to try to do the best you can to limit the amount of times he’s in a position to make big plays,” Mocs coach Rodney Allison said Tuesday. “If he’s not the most explosive player in this league, he’s obviously in the top two or three. We are going to have to do a great job of playing defense and try as much as we can to take it out of his hands.”
With a quarterback as athletic as Foster, defenses are forced to show different looks instead of playing it straight, Allison said. Gang tackling has also been a popular top of conversation for the Mocs defense this week.
“You’ve got to relentlessly chase the ball,” he said. “We’ve got to have people there to tackle him when we miss tackles because he’s going to make some people miss. We’ll just have to play really good to win.”
ASU, Wofford ready to battle
No doubt, there’ve been plenty of distractions around Appalachian State the last few weeks. The hoopla and national media exposure that followed the Mountaineers’ season-opening win over Michigan has died down slightly, and ASU (3-0) is eager to open SoCon play this weekend at Wofford (2-1).
“Thank goodness conference play is here,” Mountaineer coach Jerry Moore said. “I think it’s what we’ve been looking forward to. We’re back to normal, and we’re preparing for one of the best teams in the league. (The players) are glad to have the fanfare behind them, and they’re ready to defend their championship, or try to anyway.”
The Terriers are looking to rebound from an uncharacteristically mistake-plagued 38-17 loss at N.C. State last week and doubt they’ll catch the Mountaineers slacking.
“We’ve got to start out on all cylinders, we can’t flounder around on either side of the ball and we can’t make a mistake in the kicking game,” Wofford coach Mike Ayers said. “We’ve got to be a heck of a football team when we kick it off.”
ASU backup quarterback Trey Elder started for the second straight game last week, and starter Armanti Edwards hasn’t played since bruising a shoulder against Michigan. Moore isn’t sure which QB will start this week, and Ayers said each signal caller has proven worthy of playing time.
“(Both) of them are dangerous,” he said. “The thing you’ve got to do is be able to execute no matter who’s in there.”
The Terriers had a shot at ASU last year but fell in Boone 14-7.
“They’ve always been well-coached and had a very disciplined offense,” Moore said. “You’ve got to be a very disciplined defense to stay on the field with them.”
Furman to stick with 2 QBs
Furman coach Bobby Lamb said Renaldo Gray and Jordan Sorrells will continue to share time at quarterback for the Paladins, who are off this week after Saturday’s 38-10 loss at Clemson. Gray’s status as the starter won’t change, Lamb added, but the Paladins (1-2) will use the break to reevaluate themselves prior to beginning league play against Wofford next week.
Four Furman fumbles and three big pass plays by the Tigers were costly for Paladins, who had several bright spots including out-gaining Clemson 384-377 in total offense, owning a 13-minute advantage in time of possession and recording five sacks.
Gray is healthy and has had a solid season but needs to improve his running game, Lamb said. Sorrells completed his first 15 attempts against the Tigers, earning him more playing time than Gray last week.
“We left him in there because he had the hot hand,” Lamb said. “We feel like we’ve got two very good quarterbacks. They are both very capable, and we’ll continue with our system.”
Around the league
As for other SoCon team this week, Elon (1-1) hosts Liberty, and Western Carolina (0-3) plays its first home game of the year against Presbyterian. The Citadel (2-1) is off.
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
