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Listen to Louisiana State coach Les Miles speak, and it's obvious he has done his homework on Appalachian State.
Every coach, of course, calls an opponent “a very fine football team,” but Miles tosses out that line with feeling.
“The Mountaineers have great tradition of winning,” he said this week. “Anytime you play a program or team that has a tradition of winning, they bring a little bit more to the table.
“They're going to be very competitive; we understand that. We played them two years ago (actually a 24-0 LSU win in 2005), and I want to say that into the fourth quarter it was 14-0.”
The Tigers are well aware of the Mountaineers' 34-32 victory at Michigan a year ago.
“I like the fact that we're playing a talented opponent,” Miles said. “I think our guys play very well based on that.”
A brief summation of Miles' thoughts on Appalachian's players:
“Quarterback Armanti Edwards is a tremendous player. He throws the ball well; he's very fast.
“… Devon Moore, their veteran tailback, is not the returning starter, but he certainly has a lot of experience in the offense and has had plenty of preparation.
“One of their big playmakers is CoCo Hillary. He's also a great returner and a great receiver and certainly we'll have to know where No.6 is at.
“On defense they return three linebackers, their tackle leaders and guys who know how to play football. They have three starters back on the defensive front, and this is a defensive front that's had success.”
