Previewing App State at Idaho

MOSCOW, Idaho – Appalachian State's last trip to Idaho for a Sun Belt Conference football game will affect the race for first place in the league.
 
The Mountaineers (3-2, 2-0) face the Vandals (2-3, 1-1) on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET inside the 16,000-seat Kibbie Dome, one of the three indoor facilities where FBS home games are played. App State is a half-game behind ULM (3-2, 2-0) heading into a weekend in which the Warhawks play host to Georgia State.
 
Two players with memorable freshman-year performances against Idaho are coming off strong games for the Mountaineers.
 
Junior tailback Jalin Moore, who came off the bench to run behind a line that included Colby Gossett and post a freshman-record 244 yards when App State made its first trip to Idaho in 2015, had 241 yards on just 19 carries last weekend against New Mexico State.
 
"It was a big-time day for him," App State coach Scott Satterfield said. "It started up front with our offensive line. It started to jell, and we played a lot better toward the middle of the game. We know Jalin has the talent and ability."
 
App State sophomore cornerback Clifton Duck, who had two interceptions and a 44-yard return for a touchdown during a 37-19 win in last year's meeting with the Vandals, tied the school record by intercepting three passes last weekend.
 
The record-tying three picks apiece from Duck and fellow cornerback Tae Hayes helped the Mountaineers total six interceptions to set a new school record for a single game.
 
"Those two are real ballhawks," Idaho coach Paul Petrino said. "They can really jump and have great vertical leaps. They're definitely not guys you want to throw it up and hope you're going to get a completion against them because they do a good job coming down with the ball. They do a good job reading the quarterback's eyes, and they'll jump stuff. They're aggressive, and both have really good hands."
 
Defensively, App State's "Legion of Boone" secondary will encounter a four-year starter in senior quarterback Matt Linehan, whose father, Scott, worked as an NFL head coach before settling into his current role as the Dallas Cowboys' offensive coordinator.
 
Linehan, whose 40 career games are tied for third place among active FBS quarterbacks behind the 43 from App State's Taylor Lamb, ranks fourth among active FBS quarterbacks with 9,791 career passing yards. He's averaging 215.0 yards through the air this year as a relatively balanced Idaho offense has benefited from 5-8 senior Aaron Duckworth's 439 rushing yards.
 
Moore is a key figure in a run-based App State offense preparing for an Idaho defense that leads the Sun Belt by averaging 3.0 sacks and allowing 163.8 passing yards per game.
 

"They're very active up front with their pass rush, and in the secondary, they keep everything in front of them," Satterfield said. "They're not giving up big plays — they make you drive the football and try to get you off the sticks. That's what the tackles for loss and sacks are doing — it's not a huge blitz game.
 
"We'll have to pick and choose when we take shots down the field. We have to throw the ball better this week, but hopefully we run the ball in the same manner."