Appalachian State University football opens the home portion of its 2009 schedule and unveils the completed Kidd Brewer Stadium enhancements for the first time when it hosts fellow national power McNeese State on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and the contest will be televised live on WMYA My TV 40 in Asheville, N.C./Spartanburg, S.C./Greenville, S.C.
NOTING SATURDAY'S MATCHUP• No. 2 Appalachian (0-1) opened the 2009 campaign with a heartbreaking 29-24 setback at the hands of in-state FBS rival East Carolina last Saturday.
• Sophomore quarterback
Travaris Cadet engineered ASU’s rally from a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit at ECU, leading the Mountaineers to three scoring drives in the final period and moving the ball to midfield before time ran out on the comeback and upset bid.
• As good as Cadet was in the final 20 minutes of last Saturday’s nail-biter, Black and Gold faithful are clamoring for the return of All-America quarterback
Armanti Edwards to the starting lineup on Saturday. The 2008 Walter Payton Award winner missed all of fall camp and the season opener due to a foot injury sustained in a lawn-mowing accident on Aug. 5.
• No. 16 McNeese State (1-0) overcame an 18-point deficit in the second half to defeat Division II foe Henderson State, 27-24, last week in Lake Charles, La.
• Appalachian and McNeese State have combined for 29 NCAA Division I FCS/I-AA postseason berths and five national championship game appearances. McNeese lost title games in 1997 and 2002, ASU won in 2005, ‘06 and ‘07.
• The Mountaineers are 58-18-2 (.776) all-time in home openers, including a sterling 18-2 mark under head coach
Jerry Moore. The Apps have not lost a home opener since 2000, when it fell to Troy State, 34-28.
• Appalachian is just 1-6 all-time versus current members of the Southland Conference, including a 1-2 mark at home.
• Saturday’s meeting is the first of three between the Mountaineers and Cowboys scheduled for the next seven seasons. The programs will square off again in 2014 in Lake Charles, La. and 2015 in Boone.
• The star of the day may not be on the field, but rather what surrounds the field, as ASU plays its first game in its completely renovated home. Kidd Brewer Stadium’s three-year renovation project — highlighted by the 120,000-sqaure-foot, seven-story Appalachian Athletics Center located behind the stadium’s west stands — wrapped up this summer. The renovations were part of ASU’s $50 million athletics facilities enhancement campaign.
The local media was able to tour the facility for the first time on Thursday. To view the first photos from inside the Appalachian Athletics Center, click HERE.
For more on Saturday's matchup, including links to live video, audio and stats, rosters, depth charts and game notes for both teams and much more, click HERE to visit GoASU.com's official Gameday Central page.
Courtesy: David Scearce