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This game was just a mess for App State. I’d put money on Coach Satt picking this one as the worst game they had in his time as the head coach. The hits kept coming after they lost their starting quarterback on the first drive. The weather never let up and GSU got to do what they do best in the rain. Then the backup quarterbacks were both ineffective as the game went on. App State turned the ball over 5 times in this game and they ended the season with 17 total turnovers. To say this game was an anomaly would be an understatement.
Even with it being such a weird game for them, there were some plays to take a closer look at.
App State Ball, 1st and 10
I love this play. From the balanced bunch formation to the exaggerated counter action. This is just beautiful football. The tight end on the right side is the counter man instead of the right guard which makes the play just that much harder to read for the defense.
This play will really be a good one against some of the aggressive defenses we see in the ACC. Louisville just has to be able to execute like they do here.
App State Ball, 2nd and 8
The timing on this play is really great. That’s a third string quarterback with a perfect drop and he delivers the ball before the receiver gets into his break. They ran these hitch routes pretty often in this game and they completed them each time. This one is the best of them with everything being so smooth. It also stands out just how tight the coverage is.
This play makes me think that UofL will have much better coaching for the quarterbacks next season. This is a quarterback that is likely getting very few first team reps in practice and he comes into this big game late and makes a play like this. I’m not sure we saw timing like this one time last year.
App State Ball, 1st and 10
This is probably the first truly “bad” play of the game for App State. This is their senior receiver letting a pass go right through his hands and it becomes a turnover. I believe that it was their third turnover in plus territory. The others were due to a young quarterback making a mistake. Those plays are understandable and almost expected. A veteran player making a play like this is not.
GSU Ball, 2nd and 7
Even with the score being what it is and GSU just giving up on their seldom used passing game, I don’t know of too many coordinators that would run this defense.
Bryan Brown brings his safety up into the box and runs man across the board. That gives him the numbers but leaves three guys on an island in the back end. The call pays off with a very nice tackle in the backfield.
App State Ball, 2nd and 6
Really good play to show how the blocking scheme works when executed properly. The left guard cuts down the defensive tackle so that he can’t chase the play down. The H-Back works backside to pick up anyone that could get through. The right guard runs his defensive tackle out of the play and the tight end and tackle to the right side get a quick double team and the tackle is all the way down the field to the third level.
The key block to watch is the center. Extremely impressive for him to get the snap off and then get where he needs to to get to his block. Then he gets his pads around to get a seal on the linebacker. Look of the size of the hole the running back runs through. This offense got a lot of big plays this year, but it was runs like this that made them so efficient.
App State Ball, 3rd and 10
I remember seeing some comments about Coach Satt’s demeanor on the sideline and it was pretty accurate. He’s a very calm guy that seems to have no issue making his point calmly. This game kind of broke him, though. They had a few turnovers already at this point and he was forced to call a timeout here to avoid a delay of game. Not necessarily a bad thing to see him more animated than usual.
App State Ball, 3rd and 10
This is the play out of the timeout. App State playing with their third quarterback of the game showed a lot and this play is just another example. The timing was bad on top of it being a very bad decision. The receiver could have done much better here to fight through his route but the defense played the sticks and this throw was never going to be there.
GSU Ball, 2nd and 7
App State gave up 34 points in this game and this might be the only defensive play that they had that was bad. GSU executed really well on offense through the entire game and the App State defense was on the field a lot because of turnovers. This play was just really poorly played by just about everyone, though. The linebackers all follow the option and no one takes the dive man. All four guys in the middle of the field just vacate and the back gets to jog in for a touchdown.