If Tennessee wants to go that far this season they better get to work because Appalachian State is nothing compared to their SEC schedule. Then Dobbs threw for 192 yards on a measly 6.6 yards per attempt, hurled - in the “vomited” sense of the word more than the “threw” sense of the word - a bad interception with his team trailing by two scores, and, as mentioned, fumbled into the end zone in overtime. Appalachian State, which beat OH 31-29 in the Camellia Bowl, won its final four games and 10 of its last 11.
Advertisement
Given how the game played out, it was eerily similar to a game exactly nine years ago to the day.
Is Tennessee on upset alert against Appalachian State? Offensively, quarterback Taylor Lamb had 31 touchdowns past year as he led the team into another level.
Troy Williams threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns, and Utah opened the season with a 24-0 victory over Southern Utah on Thursday. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs ran for 671 yards and 11 touchdowns. “We were trying to save that to kick the field goal to win the game”. On fourth-and-5 at the 20, the Vols broke up a pass in the end zone. Amid a mass of bodies, Hurd dived for the ball and came up with it in the end zone, giving the Vols the go-ahead score.
Instead of a 47-yard field goal try and redemption for Rubino, the Mountaineers were forced into overtime.
Still, it doesn’t bode well for the future that Tennessee was beaten up front on both sides of the ball by an Appalachian State team that has never signed a recruit with four or more stars, according to ESPN’s recruiting rankings. “They better have. That’s kind of where I’m at”.
And though he fumbled at the goal line in overtime, running back Jalen Hurd recovered the ball in the end zone for what became the game-winning touchdown.
“We were moving the ball every drive and at the end of the drives, we were shooting ourselves in the foot”, said ASU senior tailback Marcus Cox, who led all rushers with 24 carries for 115 yards and also scored on a 33-yard pass from Lamb in the second quarter.
Tennessee made a lot of drive-killer mistakes that almost cost them. We played a great team.
Louisville tight end Charles Standberry is hit by Charlotte defensive back AJ McDonald, right, during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, in Louisville, Ky.
Presbyterian managed just 126 total yards and six first downs, while CMU amassed 492 yards – including 255 on the ground.
Before the first quarter was up, the Vols lost their top linebacker, Reeves-Maybin, on a targeting penalty covering a punt return. Hurd rushed 28 times for 110 yards.
Advertisement
Missouri State wins • Nick Masoner ran for 132 yards and Jason Randall had two rushing touchdowns as host Missouri State trounced NAIA member Southwestern College 57-0. The Vols answered with a 70-yard march, but had to settle for a 23-yard Aaron Medley field goal to narrow the gap to 7-3. And they’re going to tell me that no one will remember this game in a month if Tennessee beats Virginia Tech next week and has early success in SEC play. Any chance a freshman, whose confidence was already rattled by the events of the night, makes that? “You look at past year with the American Conference, Memphis beat Ole Miss, Houston beat Florida State and Temple beat us (Penn State), so these are good games”.
