For the second-straight year, Appalachian State University opens postseason play versus South Carolina State. Saturday's NCAA Division I Football Championship first-round matchup between No. 5 Appalachian (9-2) and No. 7 S.C. State (10-1) is set for noon.
NOTING SATURDAY'S MATCHUP
• The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU (play-by-play: Mike Morgan; analyst: Jon Ritchie). ASU is 14-0 all-time when playing on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU (5-0 on the U).
• Appalachian rides a nine-game winning streak into the postseason after opening the year with back-to-back losses to Conference USA leader East Carolina (29-24) and Southland Conference co-champion McNeese State (40-35).
• ASU won its fifth-straight Southern Conference championship with a perfect 8-0 league record.
• S.C. State's only loss of the season came on Oct. 3 at South Carolina (38-14). SCSU compiled a perfect 10-0 record against NCAA Division I FCS competition and won its second-straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title with an 8-0 mark in league play.
• Almost exactly one year ago, on Nov. 29, 2008, the second-seeded Mountaineers topped the Bulldogs, 37-21, in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA Division I Football Championship at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
• Last year's matchup was much closer than the final score would indicate. ASU trailed twice in the ballgame and held a slim 24-21 advantage after three quarters. However, Appalachian dominated the final period to pull away for the victory.
• Despite nursing hip and knee injuries, Mountaineer quarterback Armanti Edwards passed for a school-record 433 yards in last year's first-round triumph. He also set ASU postseason records for passing yards, completions (29) and touchdown passes (4).
• Edwards, who sat out of last Saturday's regular-season finale versus Western Carolina with a knee injury, is expected to suit up and start on Saturday versus SCSU.
• Edwards became first player to earn consecutive SoCon Offensive Player of the Year awards when the league's coaches honored him with the recognition this week.
• S.C. State is led by senior running back William Ford. Ford, who became the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's all-time leading rusher during last week's win over North Carolina A&T with 4,650 career yards, has rushed for 1,010 yards this season. He carried 23 times for 117 yards and a score last year at ASU.
• A win on Saturday would be the Mountaineers' 100th of the decade. Montana (116) is the only NCAA Division I FCS program with triple-digit victories since the beginning of the 2000 season.
For more on Saturday's matchup, including links to live audio and stats, both teams' stats, rosters, depth charts, game notes and much more, click HERE to visit GoASU.com's official Gameday Central page.
