Souers gives Eastern hope

Northern Arizona coach Jerome Souers speaks with considerable authority when he says Saturday’s second-round Football Championship Subdivision playoff game between Eastern Washington University and two-time defending national champion Appalachian State will be well-played and fun to watch.

Souers and his Lumberjacks played both quarterfinalists during the 2007 regular season. Earlier this week, the dean of Big Sky Conference coaches took time to discuss the quarterfinal, which kicks off at 9:05 a.m. PST inside Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, N.C.

“Both teams are talented, well-coached and playing very well right now,” said Souers, who recently wrapped up his 10th season at NAU by finishing 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the Big Sky Conference, a game behind second-place Eastern (9-3, 6-2). “It should be a fun, fun game to watch.”

NAU made the long, cross-country trip to Boone on Sept. 15 to take on then No. 1-ranked Appalachian State, which had stunned Michigan 34-32 just two weeks earlier. The Mountaineers (10-2) beat Souers’ Lumberjacks 34-21 in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated.

“Our kids played well in that particular game,” Souers said. “It was like 20-13 in the fourth quarter and we had opportunities. But we put the ball on the ground, got a kick blocked and then threw an interception, all within a few minutes, and it took us out of the game.”

NAU went on to win five of its next seven and was still in playoff contention when EWU stormed into Flagstaff and leveled the Lumberjacks 52-24.

“I think they played their best game of the year against us,” Souers said of the Eagles, who went on to dump Weber State 38-16 the following week and earn an at-large playoff berth. “We really had our hands full with them in that particular game.”

How does Souers see the EWU-ASU game playing out?

“I think it’s going to be a heck of a game,” he said, noting that Eastern coach Paul Wulff has his Eagles, who thumped No. 2-seeded and previously unbeaten McNeese State 44-15 in last Saturday’s playoff opener, playing “at a very high level” right now. “The biggest thing going in there is that you have to believe you can win, and I’m sure Eastern does. I think it’s very possible for them to pull that thing off.”

Souers said the Eagles will have to contend with a variety of difficult challenges, ranging from the crazy game-day atmosphere in sold-out Kidd Brewer Stadium to Appalachian State’s overall team speed, savvy defensive secondary and splendid young quarterback, Armanti Edwards, who missed the Mountaineers’ win over NAU because of a shoulder injury.

“He didn’t play against us, but we were prepared for him,” Souers said of Edwards, a 6-foot, 175-pound sophomore who has thrown for 1,347 yards and nine touchdowns, while rushing for 1,060 yards and 16 TDs in the eight games he has played this fall. “We watched a lot of tape on him to find out what his strengths and weaknesses are, and I can tell you, he’s a little different cat.

“He’s got pull-away speed, and he’s capable of taking it to the house on any given play. He’s an adequate thrower, too, but they keep things simple for him in the pass game and don’t ask him to make a lot of diverse throws.”

Edwards is one of many offensive options longtime ASU coach Jerry Moore has at his disposal.

“They have a lot of offense – a lot of different things they can get to that put you in a bind, defensively,” Souers said of the Mountaineers. “They run option concepts. It may look like a traditional option, but the triple option is definitely part of what they do.”

ASU’s defense is strong in the secondary but vulnerable up front, according to Souers.

“Their secondary is very strong, well-coached and disciplined,” Souers said. “There will be no easy throws against them if you just come out throwing.”

The key, he said, is to establish the run so the Mountaineers’ defensive backs can’t devote full concentration to pass coverage.

“That’s a mistake we made,” Souers said. “At the time, we thought we could throw the ball all over, and we really couldn’t. We should have stuck more with the run early, because one will open up the other against them.”

Eastern used its passing game to dismantle McNeese State early last Saturday but ended up going to the run after intermission and having remarkable success. Souers looks for the Eagles to flip-flop that strategy against Appalachian State and run early behind their senior-laden offensive line.

“If Eastern can establish some run game and get App State playing the type of run defense it takes to slow down Eastern’s running game, that could expose that secondary,” he said. “What teams have exploited against them is the fact that they’re not dominant in the defensive line.

“The key, I think, is to have success running the ball first and then mix in the passing game, because their secondary is very well versed on how to defend against the pass.”

As for the atmosphere inside Kidd Brewer, Souers warns the Eagles to expect noise and craziness.

The stadium’s seating capacity is listed at 16,650, but 27,104 were on hand to watch the Mountaineers turn back NAU.

“They have people sitting all over – on the hillsides, in the trees, on top of walls … it’s just phenomenal,” Souers said. “It’s a Montana-type atmosphere. They don’t have as many places to sit as they do in Washington-Grizzly Stadium, but there will still be a ton of people there, and they’ll be hanging from the rafters.

“It’s a great place to compete. Our kids loved it.”